He Knows
by kycatsfan
Summary: A "what if" story that begins during the novel Scarlett the day of the horse fair with some changes. Wade & Ella are there. Written from Wade & Scarlett's POVs. Rated T for possible later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first fanfic. I've been reading all of the GWTW fanfics, and I really enjoy them, so I decided to try it myself. This is the first time I've written anything creative like this in a long time, so please give me some constructive criticism and let me know if you like it and want me to continue. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own GWTW or Scarlett or any of the characters. This is only for fun and no copyright infringement is intended.

Introduction

This story begins during the novel _Scarlett _on the day that Scarlett meets Rhett at the Drogheda horse fair. I have made a few changes in the story before this point. The biggest one is that Scarlett brought Wade and Ella with her the first time she went to Ireland, which means she never took the trip back to America to get them when Rhett saw her on the ship in Charleston harbor. That means he hasn't seen her since the boating accident. Scarlett has become closer with her oldest two children over the time they've spent together in Ireland. Wade has become especially close and protective over his mother and his two sisters. He is older and understands much more than everyone thought about what made his mother the way she was, as well as what has caused her to change (more information on that in the story). Alright, so the other things I changed were some of the events surrounding Cat's birth. She was born on November 1st, so no changeling stuff even though Grainne did perform the cesarean. Oh, and just in case anyone is unsure of the ages at this point in the story, I've estimated Wade to be 15, Ella to be 10, and Cat to be 18 months. If I have them wrong, could someone please let me know? Thanks.

Chapter 1

The day was bright and beautiful, one of the warmest days they'd had all year. The sun was shining warmly, and there wasn't even a single cloud to break the smooth blueness of the sky overhead. The birds were singing and the air was scented with the newly blossoming flowers. All of this beauty was not lost on the teenage boy that lounged leisurely under the shade of one of the few trees adorning the lush green fields around the big house of Ballyhara. Wade Hampton Hamilton was enjoying a rare quiet moment away from the giggling enthusiasm of his two younger sisters. His eyes followed the progress of a brightly colored bird as it made its way back to its new small family that happened to be living high in the branches of the very tree under which he was reclining. He smiled. As much as he loved books and studying, he loved nature more. Wade was thankful that his mother had brought them to live in the land of his grandfather. While exploring the green hills of this land, Wade had discovered that love of land that his mother had told him resides within everyone of Irish blood. He loved this land, and he was extremely happy and proud that his mother had bought back the land that had been stolen from his forefathers so many years ago.

When he had been younger, and his Aunt Melly had been telling him stories of his father Charles Hamilton, Wade had thought he would go to university and follow in his father's footsteps. However, now he realized that he could never completely follow his father. Wade knew he resembled his father a great deal, and when he was younger many assumed his quiet nature to be that of his father as well. However, the changes in his family over the past few years, and most particularly the changes in his mother, had allowed him to break out of his shyness. He would never be as... well as passionate as his mother, but he was definitely showing more of her character as he grew older. He knew that a life of study and books could never be enough for him now. He needed to be connected to the land. He had heard people say again and again that his mother got her strength from Tara, that she was able to find healing in its red clay. Wade had never really understood what this meant until they had traveled to Ireland. Wade had always liked Tara, but somehow it wasn't the same as the emerald hills he'd come to love. Perhaps one of the reasons he loved it so was because he, like his mother, had found healing in the land. His mother had allowed him to help the men with the crops, and the work had done him good. His body had grown firm and strong, and his mind and soul too had become less frail. The damage from the years of unrest from nearly constant fighting from his mother and stepfather, had slowly been healed.

Wade shook his head, as though he were trying to chase away a bothersome fly. He didn't like to remember the years they had spent in that gloomy house in Atlanta. Yes, there had been some good times, but there had been far more bad times. His life was much more pleasant now, even if he did have to take on many more responsibilities than other boys his age. He felt it was his duty to be the "man of the house" now, after... well after everything that had happened. He felt responsible for his sisters and for his mother, though she assured him time and again that he needn't worry about her. Wade scowled. Of course he needed to worry about her. She was always trying to be so brave, trying to conceal her hurt and sorrow from the world, but Wade knew better. He wasn't a child after all. He knew much more about the whole affair than anyone suspected he did. He had developed quite a talent for "overhearing" things he knew his mother didn't want him to know. At first he hadn't intended it, but once he had begun to construct a vague understanding of what had happened, he just had to know more.

_Flashback_

Wade was squatting outside the low stone wall of the garden behind his great grandmother's house. He was pretending to be a confederate scout on a mission to discover the position of Sherman's troops in preparation for an ambush that would stop them dead in there tracks before they could reach Atlanta. He was just about to peak over the wall to determine the number of soldiers camped beyond so he could inform his commander of their number, when he heard footsteps approaching. He froze. "Yankee patrols!" he thought. He dropped onto his belly and prepared to army crawl away, but stopped when he recognized the voices of his mother and Uncle Colum. They didn't know he was there. Maybe he could give them a good scare. He could jump up and give the rebel yell. He put his hand over his mouth to smother his laughter. "Yes, that would scare them" he thought. His mother had become much more willing to play along with his and Ella's games lately, and he knew she'd find this really funny once she'd gotten over her fright. Before he could finish thinking out his plan, however, he heard a sob, and knew his mother was crying. He was stunned for a moment. His mother never cried. Why the only time he'd ever seen her cry was when they were fleeing Atlanta with Uncle Rhett. She was definitely crying now though, and Wade knew instinctively that she would not like to be discovered now, so he lay as still as he could, trying not to make any sound that might betray his presence. He didn't know how long he lay there, but after what seemed like hours his mothers sobs receded and she spoke in a raspy, tear thickened voice.

"What am I to do?"

Wade flinched. His mother's voice had sounded so loud in the gathering darkness. His stomach clenched, and he hoped against hope that they hadn't heard him move. They must not have because after a short pause he heard Uncle Colum's calm voice say, "We'll go home as we planned, Scarlett darling. There's nothing happened that can't be remedied."

"Divorced!" his mother's slightly hysterical voice cried. Wade didn't know what a divorce was, but it had to be pretty bad to upset his mother like this. Again he thought he'd never heard her like this except for that horrible night long ago filled with fire, and Yankee soldiers, and fear. He shivered. He'd known even then why his mother had been so upset that night, but now...

"What's done can be undone, Scarlett" he heard Colum say soothingly.

"I should have stayed. I'll never forgive myself."

Whist, now. Should-haves solve nothing. It's the next thing to happen needs thinking about", Colum said in his thick Irish brogue.

"He'll never take me back. Not if his heart's so hard that he'd divorce me. I kept waiting for him to come after me, Colum, I was so sure he would. How could I have been such a fool? You don't know the all of it. I'm pregnant, Colum. How can I have a baby when I don't have a husband?"

Pregnant? His mother was going to have a baby? But what did she mean she didn't have a husband? Wasn't Uncle Rhett mother's husband? Wade didn't understand what his mother was talking about.

"There, there", said Colum quietly. "Doesn't that take care of it? You've only got to tell him."

Wade heard his mother laugh hoarsely before she said quickly, "I want to go right now, Colum. There must be a ship sailing earlier. I'll go crazy waiting."

"We're leaving early Friday, Scarlett darling, and the ship sails Saturday. If we go tomorrow there'll still be a day to fill before the sailing. Wouldn't you rather spend it here?"

"Oh, no, I've got to know I'm going. Even if it's only partway, I'll be heading home to Rhett. Everything's going to work out. I'll make it work out. It's going to be alright... isn't it, Colum? Say that it's going to be alright."

Wade's heart fell. They were going home early. He didn't want to leave; his mother had become so much friendlier here. He liked her much better in Ireland than in America. They were going to see Uncle Rhett. Wade wasn't sure how he felt about that. He missed his Uncle Rhett, but... well, it was just that mother had been much nicer without him around. There wasn't fighting all the time. He wasn't sure if the fighting had been Uncle Rhett's fault or mothers, but he liked how things were now, and would really rather not find out. And, he had begun to wonder about Uncle Rhett's absence. Mother wouldn't answer his and Ella's questions about when they would see Uncle Rhett, and the only thing she would tell them about where he was, is that he was on a business trip. At first Wade had accepted this because Uncle Rhett had gone on business trips before, but as the weeks passed, he had begun to wonder. The last time Uncle Rhett had been gone this long was when he had gone with Bonnie. Wade remembered how sad his mother had seemed then. Maybe Uncle Rhett's extended absence had something to do with why his mother was so upset now.

"That it is, Scarlett darling. You should eat now, at least a cup of milk. With a drop in it, perhaps." Colum said, which reminded Wade that it was indeed supper time, and someone was probably looking for him. He'd have to come up with some story to explain his late arrival. "You need sleep, too. You have to keep up your strength, for the good of the baby."

"Oh yes! I will. I'll take wonderful care of myself. But first I've got to see about my frock and Ella's, and our trunks need repacking. And, Colum, how will we find a carriage to get to the train?" Her voice was rising again. Then Wade heard Uncle Colum get up and pull her to her feet.

"I'll take care of it, with the help of the girls for the trunks. But only if you'll eat something while you see to the frocks."

"Yes! Yes, that's what we'll do." Her voice sounded a bit calmer now, and Wade relaxed just a bit. He'd wait for their footsteps to die away and then make his way back to Uncle Daniel's house. Hopefully in the confusion of preparing for their early departure nobody would notice his tardiness.

_End of Flashback_

Even now, more than two years later, Wade could remember that day. It had been that conversation that had given him the first inkling of what was truly happening. He could remember looking into his mother's eyes and seeing fear, hope, apprehension, and impatience flickering so quickly from one to the other that it made his head spin. And then, Uncle Colum had told everyone that Uncle Rhett was very sick and that was why they had to return to America so quickly. Wade knew this wasn't true, and though he didn't know why his mother and Uncle Colum were telling everyone this lie, he did know enough not to let on what he knew. He remembered the trip to Gallway, and how silent his mother had been, more silent than he could remember her being since Aunt Melly's death. Wade had been worried about her then, but whenever he would ask if she were alright, his mother would give a strained smile and say she was just anxious to be home.

However, when they had all gone down to the docks to make sure of the arrangements for the ship, and mother had received that letter and fainted, all pretence of her being fine was stripped away. Wade had been so afraid for her. She never fainted, and he couldn't imagine what could have been in that letter that could have caused her so much distress. Uncle Colum had been afraid too. Wade could remember how pale his face looked, almost as pail as mother's. Once they had gotten to the hotel a doctor had come and said that mother would be fine, but later that evening Wade had heard his mother crying again.

The next day his mother had seemed more composed, and had written several letters before going to see Uncle Colum. Wade had thought it rather unusual for her to be writing letters, especially after he had caught a glimpse of one of the addresses. "Why would mother be writing letters to people back home when we are going home tomorrow?" he had thought. He had suspected that it may have all been connected to the letter she had received the previous evening and that word that had upset her so much at great grandmother's, "divorce". He had been worried about her, but he knew that she would never tell him what was truly troubling her, so when she had gone to see Uncle Colum later that morning he had followed her.

_Flashback_

Wade wanted to know what was upsetting his mother so desperately, and he was curious enough to follow her to Uncle Colum's room. He knew that his mother would not be happy if she knew, and he knew that it was wrong to listen to other people's conversations, but he also knew that he would never find out any other way. Thus, he found himself sneaking along just far enough away that his mother wouldn't hear his footsteps. He also made sure to stay hidden as much as possible lest she look around and discover him.

"Will your collar protect your reputation if I come in?" Wade heard his mother say after Uncle Colum had opened to her knock. "I have things to talk about that are private."

"A thousand welcomes. It's good to see you smiling, Scarlett darling." Uncle Colum said as his mother walked into his room. Uncle Colum shut the door behind them, and Wade knew this would make it much harder for him to hear. He made his way quietly to the door and sat down with an ear pressed to the key hole. In this position he would at least be able to hear snatches of the conversation.

He heard their voices saying something he couldn't understand. He strained his ears trying to catch something, anything to let him know what was going on. Then he heard his mother say, "I'll tell you about these in a minute. First I have to tell you that the children and I are not going with you and Bridie. We're going to stay in Ireland. No, don't say anything. I've thought it through. There's nothing for us in America anymore."

Wade couldn't believe it. They were staying, but like when he had heard they were going home, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Yes, he liked it in Ireland, but to stay here permanently? To never see Beau or Uncle Ashley again? To never see Uncle Rhett again? He was a little upset with Uncle Rhett at the moment, but not so much that he never wanted to see him again. Wade was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed Colum's next words.

"Ah, no, Scarlett darling, you're being too hasty. Didn't I tell you there's nothing done that can't be undone? You're husband got a divorce once, he'll do it again when you go back and tell him about the baby."

"You're wrong, Colum. Rhett will never divorce Anne. She's his kind, from his people, from Charleston", he heard his mother say. Wade didn't understand. Why would Uncle Rhett need to get another divorce? And who was this Anne? His mother was still talking, but it was so low that Wade couldn't make it out.

"You've got your Tara now, Katie Scarlett, and you've such dreams for it. Won't that comfort you until your heart's healed? You can build the world you want for your children, a grand plantation made by their grandfather and their mother."

"You're not thinking anything I haven't already thought. Thank you, but you can't find an answer if I couldn't, Colum, believe me. The main thing is this baby. I can't go back to Tara to have this baby, I can't take this baby to Tara after it's born. People would never believe it was made in wedlock. They've always thought-in the County and in Atlanta-that I was no better than I should be. And I left Charleston the day after-after the baby was started. No one would ever believe it was Rhett's baby. We slept in separate rooms for years. They'd call me a whore and my baby a bastard, and they'd smack their lips with the pleasure in the calling."

Wade had heard these sorts of words before. He'd heard them quite often in fact when his mother and Uncle Rhett had been fighting. He wasn't completely sure what they meant, but he knew they were horrible names to call someone, and he couldn't believe that anyone would call his mother and his new baby brother or sister such terrible names.

"Not so, Scarlett, not so. Your husband knows the truth. He'll acknowledge the baby."

"Oh, he'd acknowledge it all right, and he'd take it from me. Colum, you can't imagine how Rhett is about babies, his babies. He's like a madman with love. And he's got to own the child, be the best loved, be the all. He'd take the baby soon as it had the first breath in its little body. Don't think he couldn't do it, either. He got the divorce when it couldn't be gotten. He'd change any law or make a new one. There's nothing he can't do." His mother was whispering these words, but her voice was so hoarse that it carried to Wades' ears. She sounded afraid, afraid Uncle Rhett would take the baby. "Well", thought Wade, "he did take Bonnie away for a very long time." It sounded like his mother and Uncle Rhett weren't ever going to be together again if she was afraid he'd take the baby away and she'd never see it again.

Wade didn't hear any more of the conversation. He had made up his mind to find out what was going on, and he had a feeling that the answer could be found in that letter his mother received last night.

He made his way quickly and quietly back to his mother's room. Ella was out with Bridie, so he didn't have to worry about her seeing what he was doing. He stood in the doorway for a moment, considering. Where would his mother have put that letter? His eyes landed on the small desk in the corner where she had sat earlier while writing letters. Perhaps it was in one of the drawers. He walked over to the desk and began searching through the drawers. Pens, paper, envelopes, but he didn't find what he was searching for. Perhaps the nightstand. He quickly glanced over the papers lying on top of it before opening the first drawer.

There it was. Wade picked it up and glanced around. He knew there was nobody in the room, but he couldn't help feeling self-conscious. He should not be doing this, but he had to know. Slowly, careful not to rip anything, he pulled the pages from the envelope. There were several pages in what he recognized as his Aunt Pauline's cramped handwriting. He had just begun to read the first page of this letter, when a newspaper clipping fell from between the pages of the letter. He bent and retrieved it from under the edge of the bed where it had landed and glanced at it. His mouth fell open. How? Why? So many questions were running through his head that he couldn't complete one before a new one began. Then as realization gradually took hold, a hot burning anger began to well up inside him. So this was what had made his mother so upset. Uncle Rhett had married another woman! That must have been why he'd gotten a divorce. It must be something that let's you marry someone else. How could Uncle Rhett do this to his mother? Wade couldn't believe it. It was Uncle Rhett! Everything! The reason his mother was so upset the other night, the reason she fainted last night, the reason she thought everyone would call her and the baby all those horrible names if they went back to America! It was all his fault!

Wades hands were shaking as he pushed the papers roughly back into the envelope, threw it into the drawer, and slammed it. He was breathing hard, and he knew if his mother came back and found him like this she'd know something was wrong. He ran from the room and toward the little hotel garden. He needed to think.

_End of Flashback_

And he had thought, Wade remembered. He had thought long and hard, and he had come to the conclusion that he hated Rhett Butler for what he had done to his mother. Later that day his mother had told him and Ella that they weren't going back to America. She had tried to make Rhett sound as innocent as possible in the whole thing, only saying that they just couldn't be together anymore. Wade hadn't asked any questions, for he already knew the answers, but he remembered that Ella hadn't understood. He could still remember the pain in his mother's eyes as Ella had asked question after question. When would they see Uncle Rhett again? Why couldn't they go home? Wade had tried his best to quiet her, but he'd had little success. Uncle Colum had tried to help mother answer all of Ella's questions, but Wade knew even with his help, it had been very difficult for her. Then she had told them that she was going to tell everyone she was a widow so that nobody would ask any questions. Wade hadn't understood completely then, but now he knew she had done that for them and for his sister she had been carrying, so they would be able to hold their head up in society. Those horrible words came back to him "whore", "bastard". He clenched his teeth. If he ever heard anyone say those things, he would make sure they could never say that, or anything else again.

His musings were cut off by a high pitched cry "Wade!"

He looked up and saw his baby sister, Cat, running toward him as fast as her short legs would carry her. Ella and his mother were walking leisurely behind her. Wade smiled and got to his knees in preparation for Cat's greeting.

"Wade!" she cried again as she threw herself into his open arms. Wade held her in one arm and began tickling her little tummy, causing her to emit screams of laughter.

"I was thinking we might all take a trip out to the fair", his mother said smiling down at him. "How does that sound?"

"That sounds fine, mother. Will Uncle Colum be coming with us?"

"Yes, we'll need to hire several more men to help with the planting, and we'll need another six plow horses, so Colum has offered to take us and show me around." She said this with a mischievous smile on her face and a glint in her eye. Wade, however, didn't see this because his eyes had been focused on the small giggling face of his youngest sister.

He looked up to her, a bit disappointed, "Is that all we're getting today?"

"Why? Was there something else you were hoping for Wade?"

Now he had a feeling his mother was joking. She knew full well that he had been hoping for a new horse all winter. He felt he was more than ready for a large hunter now, and he had made his feelings on the matter clear to his mother on more than one occasion since Uncle Colum had described a fox hunt to him.

"Mother", piped in Ella, "Wade wants a horse too. He wants to hunt socks."

At this Wade looked irritated at Ella and Scarlett burst into laughter.

"Foxes," said Wade with a sigh. "I want to hunt foxes."

"Oh," Ella said, casting her eyes down.

"Oh, Ella," Scarlett said through her laughter, "don't worry. That was one of the funniest mistakes I've heard in a long time. I'll have to tell Colum that I need to buy Wade a horse for his "socks" hunting."

She collapsed into giggles again and this time Ella joined her. Wade even smiled a bit, but he was in too much of a hurry to get to the fair to let them have too long.

"Well, if you two are quite finished, should we find Uncle Colum and go?"

"Oh Wade," his mother admonished, "have a sense of humor. But, yes, we should get going if we're adding another horse to the list of things to take care of today."

She turned to walk away, and it was only then that Wade noticed what his mother and Ella were wearing. They both had on peasant costumes of brightly colored skirts and blouses.

"Mother," he said in a mock disapproving voice, "no one will think you can even afford a horse in those clothes."

Ella laughed and Scarlett turned and gave him a brilliant smile.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: A big thanks goes out to all my reviewers: Marovia, CaptScarlett, PrincessAlica, CCgwtw, Laura Butler, Scarlett Jamie, and my one anonymous reviewer (you know who you are). Their stories are all wonderful, and I feel honored that they liked my first chapter.

Also, a special thanks to Scarlett Jamie who gave me a lot of encouragement and help when I felt stuck with this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own GWTW or Scarlett or any of the characters. This is only for fun and no copyright infringement is intended.

I did borrow some quotes from A. Ripley's Scarlett, but after this chapter or possibly the next, that will stop.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

On the ride to the fair, Ella pestered Colum with questions about what they would see once they arrived. They had all been to fairs before, but never one so large as the one at Drogheda. Colum answered her questions as quickly as they came, laughing, and no doubt embellishing the stories he told them of fairs he had been to as a boy.

Wade was nearly as excited as Ella. He spoke animatedly with his mother about exactly what he wanted in his new horse. She tried very hard to pay attention to what he was saying, and to answer him with at least a semblance of interest, but it was very difficult, as they had had nearly the exact same conversation many times before. She quickly found that she could not keep her mind from wandering. Scarlett was very eager to arrive at the fair herself. She wanted to be certain that they secured good laborers, and she planned to be sure that she was not taken for a fool in regards to the plow horses, as she felt she had been with the last horses she had purchased. No one was going to sell her an animal without her getting a very thorough look at it first, she decided.

Scarlett held a babbling Cat securely in her lap, as they trundled down the path enclosed by fragrant hedgerows. Cat's eyes darted from here to there, never lingering overlong on one interesting sight before moving to a new one. She pointed and exclaimed over the "pwetty flowers" and the "birdies" she saw. Scarlett smiled down at her. She knew that this was a relatively unique experience for her youngest child. Cat had not been on many trips away from Ballyhara yet in her short life, but today Scarlett felt that a trip out with the whole family would do everyone some good. She felt confident in Wade's ability to watch over Cat, should she and Colum be occupied, so she had not had the least hesitation when she decided to bring Cat along for the day.

The trip did not take more than an hour at the most, but it had felt much longer for everyone due to their eagerness to arrive at the fair. Once they had arrived, they all felt that the barrage that met their senses had been well worth the wait. There were so many sights and sounds that it was hard to distinguish anything from the jumble. There were cows, sheep, and pigs that had been brought from the surrounding farms either in hopes of winning one of the many prizes that would be awarded, or else with the intention of selling them for some much needed money. Their loud moos, bleats, and snorts of impatience at finding themselves in the midst of the crowded town rather than in the pleasant quiet of their fields or pens, mingled disagreeably with the cackling of fouls, which found themselves there for similar purposes.

There were venders of all sorts in small stalls lining the road. The savory smells of apples, meats, pies, and ale wafted amidst the crowd, causing them to crinkle their noses in satisfaction. There were traders dealing in everything from shoes to cookery, and their loud calls of "I've got what it is you want sir" and "Not a finer one you'll find in all of Ireland ma'am," rose above even the disgruntled noises of the livestock and surrounding throng to form a sort of chorus as though it was a pre-rehearsed chant in which each had a part.

And the crowd! Had there ever been so many people gathered in one place ever before? The streets and tents were swarmed so thickly that it was difficult to navigate without running headlong into several people on your way from one attraction to the next. There were people of every class. Rich landed gentry rubbed shoulders with the most poor of tenant farmers, and yet nobody seemed to regard this unusual socialization of the classes as out of the ordinary today. All of the strict restrictions of relating with those of other classes, higher or lower, seemed to have been dispensed with for the enjoyment of the fair. Men spoke loudly with others about animals or crops, while the women, no more subdued than their menfolk, chatted about one thing or the other, and weaving excitedly through the midst of all of this, children ran, skipped, and shouted their enthusiastic approval at the excitement of it all.

As the family made their way through the mass of people, livestock, and peddlers, who tried their utmost to persuade them of the merits of their goods, they turned their heads this way and that, trying to take everything in all at once. Finally, they arrived at the place designated for the horses, and Wade's eyes lit up. There were more horses than he had ever seen in his entire life. Plow horses, racing horses, and hunters, so many of every color imaginable that Wade's eyes were as wide as half dollars as he surveyed them. He was more than ready to jump right in and find his horse, but his mother reminded him that they needed to take care of their more practical concerns first. Though Wade was very impatient at that moment, he realized the wisdom of his mother's words.

"So, will you choose the lads first or the horses?" asked Colum. "They're at different ends."

"Oh, bother! The best ones will get snapped up in the beginning, they always do. I'll tell you what—you take care of the boys, and I'll go straight for the horses. You come to me when you're finished."

Wade was on the verge of telling his mother that he would be more than happy to assist her in choosing the horses, when one of his friends approached them.

"Hello Wade!" he called.

"Hello Tommy!"

"Have you something you must do? We've gotten a group of lads together in one of the fields for a game of hurling*. Would you like to join us?"

Wade hesitated for a moment. He didn't usually have the opportunity to play games with a large group of boys in the village of Ballyhara, as there were not many near his age, but the lure of finding his new horse held him back.

"Go on Wade," Scarlett encouraged. "I'll come and find you after I've taken care of the plow horses. Then we can look for that horse you wanted."

"Are you sure mother?" He wanted to go with Tommy, but he also felt a responsibility to help his mother.

"Yes, Wade," she said dismissively. "I'm positive. I can handle buying the horses, and you should be able to have some fun with your friends once in a while." Scarlett knew what was holding Wade back, and though she appreciated that he wanted to help her, she would prefer to see to the horses herself anyway. "Why don't you take Ella and Cat along with you? I'm sure they'd enjoy watching the game."

"Me go!" exclaimed Cat, reaching her arms out toward her brother. "Cat wanna go with Wade."

"Alright then," smiled Wade as he took Cat from his mother's arms. "Ella, would you like to come? You'll have to help me with Cat."

Ella nodded her acquiescence and they set out.

As soon as they had gone, Scarlett headed straight for the large canvas tents that were being used as temporary stables for the many horses on display. She coaxed and charmed reluctant sellers into allowing her to take a thorough look at the horses out in the sunlight. A buyer had to be wary of the many ploys resourceful owners may use to enhance the appearance of their beasts, and Scarlett was determined not to be fooled. She ran her hands over the muscles of their backs and legs, examined their hooves, and caught hold of their large heads to inspect their teeth.

It was more tiring than one might think, especially with the Irish system of dealers attempting to harangue potential buyers into a deal, sometimes without them even realizing it. Scarlett had taken several short breaks from her examinations, during which she would watch the horses jumping out in the ring. She had her eye on one bay in particular. He seemed to be exactly what Wade had wanted, and she made a mental note to be sure to show him that horse first.

However, just as she was concluding the purchase of the final plow horse she would need, the sounds of a particularly enthusiastic sale reached her ears. She turned her head in the direction of the voices, and her eyes fell immediately on the horse for which they were trying to make a deal. It was the very horse she had thought would be perfect for Wade. She hesitated for an instant. She knew that Wade had wanted to be the one to choose his hunter, but this horse was just what he had been hoping for, Scarlett knew it was. Her mind made up, she started toward the dealer. Scarlett was determined that Wade should have his new horse, and moreover, that it should be the best possible hunter she could find.

Wade had taken on a great deal of additional responsibility in the past few years. Scarlett knew that he felt it was his duty as "man of the house" even though she had assured him it wasn't necessary. He tried to be involved in every aspect of her business around Ballyhara. In fact, at times his insistence of being included in her business matters had been quite irritating to Scarlett. She knew where his desire to help her came from, but it was not difficult to forget that he had good intentions when he was pestering her to allow him to take a look at her ledgers. She had snapped at him more than once that she was certainly capable of managing the books, as she had done it for years with her businesses in Atlanta. Wade had not been deterred, and always returned sometime later to renew his attempts. Scarlett had worked very hard to repress the instincts she had developed over years of being the sole person responsible for her store and mills. She had tried to include him as much as possible, knowing that one day Ballyhara would be his to run, and wanting him to be prepared.

But, it was not only the business matters that Wade had taken on. Though Scarlett had in no way intended it, Wade had appointed himself as a sort of comforter to her. In the early days of their new lives in Ireland, there had been many nights during which she had been plagued with her old nightmare of running through the fog. In these dreams she was always running toward Rhett, but he never looked back at her, and the faster she ran, the further from her he seemed. She would hear all the horrible words he had spoken to her echoing over and over again. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." "You're a poison in my blood, a sickness of my soul." "It had nothing to do with love." "I must not and will not ever see you again." She knew that she must have been crying out Rhett's name in her sleep because she would always wake to find Wade's worried face hovering above her. She had done her best not to damage Wade and Ella's opinions of Rhett, knowing that they both saw him as a father, but she knew that Wade had learned at least something of the circumstances surrounding her and Rhett's estrangement. When she would wake up from one of these dreams, Wade would always wrap his arms around her and assure her that everything would be alright, that he would take care of her now. He never mentioned Rhett's name, but after the initial concern for her was wiped from his face, it was always replaced by a look of profound anger. Scarlett knew that this look was directed at Rhett, but whenever she had attempted to question Wade about it, he had politely but firmly refused to talk about it. She really had no idea how much he actually knew, but it was obviously enough for him to decide that he no longer considered Rhett a father figure.

Wade was growing up much too quickly. He had taken on so much more than he should ever have had to deal with, yet he hardly ever complained. Scarlett knew from personal experience what it was to have your childhood shortened considerably by hard times. The war had left its mark on her, just as she knew it had left a mark on Wade. He had already suffered through a great many hardships during those days of hard work and deprivation throughout the war. She did not want him to miss the last glorious years of his youth worrying about her, and if a hunting horse was what it would take for him to relax and enjoy these days that should be carefree, then she was going to make sure that he got it.

These thoughts running through her head made her oblivious to everything around her except the horse that was her goal. She did not notice the many people she pushed past in her approach, and she did not notice the dark eyes that had lighted on her, moved away, and then come quickly back to follow her progress through the crowd.

She could hear the dealer's voice clearly above the chatter of the excited spectators. "...One-forty? Sure, you must add reasonableness to your thinking, the gentleman's come up to one twenty-five, it's only the way of the world for you to take a small step to meet him; say one-forty's your price down from forty-two and we'll be making a deal before the day's out... One-forty it is, now see the generous nature of the man, you'll prove you can match him, won't you now? Say one-thirty instead of one twenty-five and there's only a breath between you, no more than can be managed for the cost of a pint or two..."

When she had finally reached the triangle of owner, dealer, and buyer surrounding the giant horse, she quickly made her presence known. "One-forty," she said in a confident voice. All three men involved in the sale turned to stare at her. This was most unusual, and they were a bit unsure of how to proceed. Seeing this, Scarlett decided to take charge of the situation herself. She spat into her hand and slapped it loudly against the dealer's. Then she spat again and looked at the seller. He spat into his hand and slapped it twice against hers signifying his agreement to her offer. The dealer had no choice but to seal the deal.

Scarlett turned and smiled at the fair haired man that had been trying to buy the horse. "I hope you're not too disappointed," she said in a honeyed tone.

"Why, of course not." He smiled ruefully at her before adding, "You must be something to see taking a fence. Talk about leaving the field behind! Do you hunt around here Mrs..."

"O'Hara," said Scarlett, extending her hand to him.

"John Morland," he replied as he took her hand and bowed gracefully over it.

Oh, she knew that name. Now where had she heard it? Oh yes, of course, she must have heard his name mentioned at least a dozen times by Kevin O'Connor. Apparently, Sir John Morland was considered to be quite a generous landlord, as he usually allowed his tenants to deduct five pounds from their rent as a wedding gift. Five pounds. And here he was ready to spend thirty-times that for a horse. "How very generous", she thought. Although she supposed that was more than most of the English landlords were willing to do.

"Well, Mr. Morland—"

"Bart," he interrupted. "Please call me Bart. All my friends do."

Scarlett grinned up at him, fluttering her lashes. "And, do you consider us to be friends already?" she asked in what Rhett used to call her "southern belle simper".

"I would certainly like us to be friends, Mrs. O'Hara," he grinned back.

"In that case, Bart, you must call me Scarlett. Everyone does, whether they consider themselves my friend or not. And, to answer your previous question, I don't hunt myself," she informed him. "Actually, this horse is a gift for my son. He is hoping to take up fox hunting."

"Indeed? Then I would be honored if you and your son would join me some time for a hunt at my estate. It's near Dunsany, if you are familiar with that part of the country."

"Yes, I'm familiar with Dunsany," replied Scarlett. I'm sure my son would dearly love to join your hunt. We could come any day you named."

"Excellant. Saturday then? I'll be having several acquaintances over for a hunt."

"Saturday would be fine. I'll look forward to meeting your friends. I must confess that I know very few people, as I haven't been living in the country long."

"Ah, yes," Bart said thoughtfully. "I gathered as much by the sound of your accent. It is the American South you are from, is it not?"

"Why, yes, Georgia to be specific," Scarlett returned with a smile that displayed her charming dimples.

"In that case," began Bart. "I have someone you must meet. He's also from the American South." He turned toward the far edge of the tent and called, "Rhett! Rhett, come here a moment. There's someone here you must meet."

"Oh God!" thought Scarlett in a panic. "It can't be. No, surely he's not the only person in the world with that name." Her eyes were desperately attempting to peer through the thick crowd separating her from the man Bart had called to. "Dear Lord, please don't let it be him."

But it was him. Once he had moved closer, Scarlett could no longer deny it, for there was no mistaking that muscular frame and that prowling gate. Her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of him. So many emotions were fighting for supremacy in her bosom that she thought she must surely burst from the sheer magnitude of them all.

He was here! Rhett was actually here. Oh, how she loved him. How she had missed him. She wanted to run to him, to throw herself into his strong arms, arms that always made her feel safe, feel warm, feel home.

But, other thoughts blew these away like so much smoke on the wind. He was here! Oh no, he couldn't be here! Cat! Fear erupted where feelings of tenderness and love had been a moment before. She felt sick. God's nightgown! What was she going to do now? He mustn't find out about Cat. He'd take her away, and she'd never see her again.

No! She wouldn't allow it, wouldn't let him find out. He was not going to take her child away, not this time. "Not," Scarlett's heart cried, "like he took Bonnie away from me."

Rhett was standing right in front of her and Bart when Scarlett finally broke from her thoughts with an iron resolve to prevent Rhett from learning of Cat's existence at all costs. She thought her emotions must have showed in her eyes, her damned expressive eyes that she could never keep control of, for a look of incredulity flickered briefly across his swarthy face. Somehow, she had no idea how, she knew that look was not born of the unexpected surprise of coming face to face with her. In fact, other than that fleeting emotion she had caught, his face and eyes were set into that blank poker mask he had developed so expertly.

"Rhett," Scarlett could hear Bart saying as though from a far greater distance away than he currently stood. "I would like to introduce you to this most remarkable woman, who also happens to come from the American South. This is Mrs. O'Hara. Scarlett," —she was pleased to note that Rhett shot Bart a look of annoyance at his use of her Christian name—"this is Captain Rhett— "

"Yes," interrupted Scarlet, pulling herself from the daze that seeing Rhett had thrown her into. "We are previously aquainted." And then, extending her hand to Rhett with a sweet smile plastered on her face, she added, "So nice to see you again Captain Butler."

Rhett raised one dark eyebrow in silent question, but took her hand and bowed over it as decorum dictated.

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs.—er—O'Hara. And, may I say that you are looking quite fetching today," he quipped with that mocking smirk of his, giving her body a once over in that insolent way that always made her blood boil.

Oh, he was infuriating. Of course he would have to mention her peasant clothing. Not that her attire had previously caused her any embarrassment, but God's nightgown! He just had a way of turning everything around, so that she forgot what her own thoughts on a matter had been before he started in on it.

Instead of giving him a good lashing with her tongue, as she longed to do for more than one reason, she simply smiled prettily up at him. "Oh, Captain Butler, how you do run on. Why, I borrowed these things from a friend of mine just specifically for this occasion. You know how I do so enjoy dressing up."

"Yes, of course. And, speaking of this occasion, I wonder how you find yourself here of all places?"

"Why, I came to enjoy the fair," she replied, a bit flustered. Oh no, he was going to start questioning her about what she was doing in the country, and no doubt, about where she was staying. What was she going to say? She'd never been able to lie to him. If she lied, he'd see right through her in an instant, and knowing that she was attempting to conceal something would probably make him all the more interested in her affairs. The panicky feeling began to overtake her again, and she worked hard to restrain her emotions. She had to stay calm, get him talking about something else, anything else.

"So, how are you and Bart acquainted?" she asked. Again she saw a brief flash of some emotion cross his face at the familiarity with which she addressed John Morland. She couldn't be sure of exactly what it was, it had come and gone so rapidly, but it was something akin to irritation, perhaps something stronger.

"I am acquainted with him through Sally Brewton, you remember Sally?"

She nodded and he continued, "She put me in touch with him because I wanted to acquire some horses. I am determined that Dunmore Landing will once again produce a winner at the races. Now, exactly how did you two become so familiar?"

"Well," broke in Bart excitedly, "it's all thanks to this magnificent horse here," he said as he patted the neck of the beautiful bay next to him.

"Oh?" prompted Rhett, with a remarkably exaggerated raise of not one, but both eyebrows.

"Yes, she came in and bought him right out from underneath me," Bart said, smiling at Scarlett to let her know there were no hard feelings.

"Did she now? And why, may I ask, would you be purchasing a hunting horse, Mrs. O'Hara?"

"I... umm... I mean... well, I just..."

"Didn't you say it was a gift for your son?" Bart prompted, no doubt thinking that he was assisting a lady who had forgotten herself under the pressure of such a pointed question.

Scarlett had to exercise all of her self-control not to glare at him and thank him to keep his mouth shut. Now Rhett knew, if he hadn't already, that the children were here in Ireland with her. "Great balls of fire! What if he comes nosing around under the pretence of seeing the children?" She wouldn't put it past him. He seemed to be very interested in her affairs, abnormally interested, now she came to think of it.

"Yes, I bought it as a gift for Wade," she told Rhett, not bothering to add anything more, even when he gave her a questioning look. However, Bart seemed more than ready to "assist" her.

"It seems the boy has taken an interest in fox hunting, so I've invited him and his mother to join us Saturday for the hunt."

Us? Did he just say "us"? That "us" had better not be referring to himself and Rhett. God's nightgown! This situation was just getting better and better.

"Ah, so we will have the pleasure of seeing Mrs. O'Hara again soon then," remarked Rhett in a voice Scarlett recognized as his mocking tone overlaid with a thick layer of false politeness.

So, he knew she hadn't expected him to be there, and probably that she wasn't too happy to learn of his attendance. And now she was stuck. She had already agreed to come, so it would seem very suspicious if she were to back out now. She'd just have to go and make the best of it. Why, oh why, did he always seem to gain the upper hand against her?

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it."

She was just trying to think of a graceful way to end the conversation when her darting eyes spotted Colum coming toward her.

"Oh, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you two gentlemen now," she said with a sweet southern belle smile that showed off her dimples. "Bart, a pleasure to have met you, and I look forward to seeing you Saturday."

She extended her hand to him. He took it and replied, "The pleasure was all mine. I too will be anticipating our next meeting."

Then she turned to Rhett, and offered him her hand as well, mostly because she new it would look odd if she didn't. "Captain Butler," she said politely, if not too warmly.

"Mrs. O'Hara," he returned with a bow.

And with that, Scarlett hurried off in Colum's direction, only pausing to inform the servant of the previous owner of Wade's new horse, that she would send someone back to fetch the horse for her.

When she reached Colum, she caught hold of his arm and nearly dragged him toward the field where Wade had told her they would be. She wanted to get away from the fair as quickly as possible before Rhett caught sight of any of the children, and before he could glimpse Cat in particular.

"Scarlett darling, what's gotten you in such a state?" Colum asked with concern. "Have you a mind to tear me arm off?"

"He's here, Colum. Rhett's here."

"Rhett Butler, you mean. And did he see you?"

"Yes," panted Scarlett as they hurried on. "Yes, he saw me. I spoke to him, or rather he was introduced to me."

"What—"

"There's no time now, Colum. I'll explain everything later. Right now, the most important thing is, we must get Cat away before he sees her."

***

Wade had been thoroughly enjoying himself. Even though he had hardly ever played the game before, he was finding that he was quite as good at hurling as the other boys, who had played for many years. He made sure that he didn't become so caught up in the excitement of the game that he forgot his sisters though. He cast glances in their direction often, and periodically hurried over to them during a lull in the game to make sure they were both doing alright. He took his responsibility of being the oldest very seriously. He was extremely conscious of the fact that Ella no longer had a father and that Cat would never have one. Though he was no replacement for such a loss, he tried his best to make it up to them as much as he could. He always seemed to be trying to make up for something that Rhett had or hadn't done.

It was during one of his visits with Ella and Cat that he saw his mother and Uncle Colum hurrying toward them. He immediately noticed the look of panic on his mother's face, and hurried toward her with Cat in his arms.

"Mother?" he began, but she cut him off.

"I'm sorry Wade, but we must leave now."

She took Cat from him, grabbed Ella's hand, and started off in the direction of where they had hitched the carriage. Wade was confused. What could possibly be going on—?

And then he saw him. His tall, muscular body was leaning carelessly against a post. Wade felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. That was the only way he could describe it. But, after the initial shock began to wear off, that old familiar feeling of fury began to take him over. It was a feeling that he knew very well, as he felt it anytime he thought of that man whose eyes—were following his mother's retreating back!

Oh how he wanted to run over and give Rhett Butler a good punch right in the center of his arrogant face! Perhaps that would wipe that smirk off of it. Wade's hands had balled themselves into fists and his feet had taken several steps in Rhett's direction before he realized what he was doing. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the figures of his mother, Ella, and Uncle Colum who were becoming smaller by the second. Then he turned back to Rhett. He clenched his teeth in an attempt to gain control over himself. It was very difficult though, when hate-filled thoughts raced one another around in his mind. "Damn him! What the hell was he doing here? And what the hell was he doing staring after mother like that?" Oh, if only his mother hadn't been here to see, what Wade would have done to him. He hated that man for everything he had done to his mother, to Ella, to Cat... "To me", he added reluctantly.

To his horror, Wade felt hot tears beginning to prick the backs of his eyes. He whirled around and ran after his mother. But, as much as he told himself they were tears of anger, he could not stop the feelings of hurt and abandonment from crushing his heart.

*** Hurling** is an outdoor team sport of ancient Gaelic origin, played mainly in Ireland. The object of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a _hurley_ to hit a sma ball called a _sliotar_ between the opponents' goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for three points. For more information see: .org/wiki/Hurling.

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A/N: So, what did you think? Let me know in a review, please.

I'm not certain what I'm doing with the next chapter. It will be the hunt, but I'm toying with several different scenarios, so the next update may take a little longer. Sorry, but hey, my chaps are long, so that should help to make up for any delays.

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, a big thank you to all my reviewers. It is a great encouragement to know that people like this story.

Now, before you read, just let me say that this chapter sort of ran away with me and ended up a lot longer than I meant for it to be. That means, I had to split it up into two parts. This is the first part, and I'm still working on the next part, so I'll post it as chapter 4 as soon as it's finished. So, don't be angry with me for not fulfilling some of the promises I made about this chapter in my replies to your reviews. I promise it's coming in the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own GWTW or Scarlett or any of the characters. This is only for fun and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 3

Wade walked quickly along the darkened upstairs corridor of their home at Ballyhara. "Damn Rhett Butler to hell!" he thought savagely. "Damn him to the deepest pit of hell! Dante Alighieri should have added a special circle in his _inferno _just for Rhett Butler."

He opened the heavy door into his mother's room, and at once her anguished sobs became considerably louder. She hadn't had a nightmare like this in a very long time, and Wade knew exactly what had caused her nightly torture to recommence. Oh yes, he knew, and he was very angry about it to put it mildly.

He hadn't told his mother that he had seen Rhett as they were leaving the fair, and neither had she said anything about her encounter with him. Wade hadn't asked her about it, as much as he had wanted to know exactly what had been said between them. "Oh, if he had said anything to hurt her... " He also wasn't sure if he wanted her to know that he had seen what had upset her so much, so he hadn't mentioned it, in hopes that his mother would be able to forget it and get back to their lives as usual. "A lot of good that had done," thought Wade.

He crossed the room to stand beside his mother's bed, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mother," he called softly, shaking her gently. "Mother, wake up."

"Rhett," cried Scarlett. "Rhett, please... please don't go... please."

"Mother," Wade said more forcefully. "Wake up now. You're having a nightmare. Wake up."

Scarlett stirred, gave one last lingering sob, and tentatively opened her eyes.

"Wade?" she questioned drowsily.

"Yes, mother. Are you alright?"

As though just realizing what was happening, Scarlett gave a small start and quickly began wiping forcefully at her tears. She sat up and gave her best attempt at a smile, which only ended up being a strained sort of grimace.

"Of course, Wade. I'm fine. I just had a bit of a bad dream."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Wade asked, already knowing the answer his mother would give.

"No, no... It was nothing, really. I'm fine. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Oh, yes," thought Wade. "It was nothing, nothing except '_him'_ coming back and destroying your happiness again. And, of course you're fine, nothing wrong with you at all."

He was glad the darkness of the room obscured his face, preventing his mother from seeing the look of intense, unadulterated hatred that had accompanied these thoughts.

Working very hard to keep his voice calm and prevent her from hearing in it the anger that was pulsating within his veins, he said, "Would you like to talk about something else then? I can't sleep anyway."

It was a lie. He had just fallen asleep not too long before he had woken to his mothers muffled weeping, but he knew she didn't like to go right back to sleep after a nightmare.

"Well, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Scarlett asked, doing her best to sound conversational despite the lingering effects of the nightmare she had just woken from.

"Oh, I don't know," began Wade, considering what subject would best take his mother's mind off of her encounter at the fair. "The weather we've been having recently has been quite good. Perhaps we should plan to have a picnic this weekend. Ella and Cat would enjoy a picnic, don't you think?"

"This weekend?" she began as though on the verge of recalling something. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I met Sir John Morland at the fair today when I was buying your horse, and he invited us to attend a hunt he is holding at his estate on Saturday. I told him we would come."

"Really mother?" Wade asked excitedly. A real hunt, with gentlemen who must certainly be good hunters. Why, he could learn so much. "That's wonderful. Did I mention to you how much I like Half Moon? I'm sure there wasn't a better horse at the fair."

"Yes, Wade. I believe you've mentioned it a few times since the horse arrived," Scarlett said, managing a true smile this time.

Wade smiled back at her. "It was very kind of Sir John to invite us. How did you come to meet him?"

"Oh, well, actually he was in the process of buying Half Moon when I stepped in and outbid him," Scarlett said with a bit of a smug grin on her face.

Wade laughed aloud at this. "Honestly mother, I can't believe you did that."

Actually, he had no trouble believing she did it. His mother was nothing if not a shrewd business woman who knew what she wanted and went after it.

"Now Wade," she chided, "You just said there wasn't a better horse at the fair than Half Moon. I did what was necessary to ensure you got the best. Surely that counts for something."

"Of course it does, mother. I was only teasing you. Now tell me, do you know anyone who will be at Sir John's hunt?"

"Umm... No, no I don't know anyone who will be there," Scarlett said, turning her eyes away from Wade's. "Now, I think we should both try to get some sleep."

Wade, having been too caught up in the excitement of the news of his first hunt, did not notice his mother's odd behavior. He nodded, kissed her on the cheek, and walked from the room, his mind full of horses, hounds, and foxes.

* * *

The days before the hunt passed almost unbearably slowly to Wade, as time always does when you are eagerly anticipating something. He spent the interim getting to know Half Moon. He was out the door almost before breakfast had ended, and didn't return until just before supper, preferring to have a lunch packed that he could eat while out working with the horse. Scarlett thought she had never seen him so intent on anything before.

Though she had misgivings at first about him riding such large horses, and especially about the jumping that fox hunting would require, her fears had been substantially lessoned when she saw what an accomplished rider Wade was. She really didn't remember him riding that much when he was younger, and couldn't imagine how he had learned so much until Wade mentioned one day in passing that he had ridden quite often with Beau and Ashley. When Scarlett had expressed her surprise at this, Wade had somewhat reluctantly explained that he had always ridden with them occasionally, but that it had become much more often later on, especially after Rhett had started teaching Bonnie to ride. She had tried to question him further, but he seemed to regret saying as much as he had, and evaded her questions.

Scarlett had never really thought about what the attention Rhett had lavished on Bonnie had meant to Wade and Ella. She remembered her own feelings of jealousy, as much as she was ashamed of it, she had been jealous of the love and attention Rhett had bestowed on Bonnie. It was obvious to her now that Wade and Ella must have had similar feelings. She didn't know why this thought had never occurred to her before, but now that she had realized it, it made her all the more determined to connect with them.

That was one reason why she liked to see Wade doing things outside of study, for it gave her more common ground with which to relate to him. Though she knew little of fox hunting per se, she was quite informed about horses—thanks largely to Gerald and his love for them—and it pleased her that she and Wade could share this interest. They spent the days preceding the hunt, when Wade wasn't out riding, having long conversations about horses. Several times during these talks, Wade asked her if she was sure she didn't know anyone that would be hunting with them. He was eager to find out as much as possible about the whole event beforehand. Scarlett wasn't sure why she wasn't telling him that Rhett was going to be there. Having no idea that Wade had seen him at the fair, she thought it would be a shock for him to see Rhett at the hunt, and yet she couldn't bring herself to prepare him. She knew how angry Wade had become toward Rhett, and perhaps it was her unwillingness to spoil his excitement with news of an unwanted hunting partner that held her tongue. Whatever her reason was, she kept the news to herself, and so Saturday came with Wade none the wiser about the encounter he was sure to have later that day.

* * *

Wade was awake well before dawn. He had already dressed in his tweed coat, tan breeches, and riding boots and made a trip out to the stable to check on Half Moon when Scarlett descended the stairs.

"Well, you are certainly up and about early this morning," she said while attempting to stifle a yawn.

He smiled at her, a smile of excitement as a small child might smile on Christmas morning, and it pleased her to see that he still retained some of his childish wonder after the hardships he had endured.

"Yes, mother. Not all of us have so much trouble getting up in the mornings."

"Why, Wade Hampton," she huffed with her hands on her hips. "What a thing to say to your mother. Didn't I teach you any manners at all? How dare you imply that I am not a morning person, when you know that I am up before sunrise nearly every day."

They both burst into laughter at the absurdity of this statement. Wade's excitement seemed to be contagious, and it had made them both a bit giddy.

"Alright," Scarlett said once she had recovered, "I told Mrs. Fitz to have breakfast for us early this morning. There will be a breakfast at the hunt, but I thought perhaps you might like something before we started the ride over."

"More likely, it is you who couldn't wait for the later breakfast," thought Wade good-naturedly. Then he added aloud, "That would be nice, thank you mother, but we'd better hurry. We'll need to leave in about twenty minutes if we want to make it to Morland Hall by seven."

They had decided to ride the distance to Morland hall, as it was not over sixteen kilometers away, and would only take a little over an hour on horseback. The ride was spent in excited anticipation on both their parts, though it could not have been for more different reasons, or caused such different stirrings of emotions.

Wade, of course, was eager to arrive. He was excited about the hunt, and about meeting all of the gentlemen they would be hunting with. He could not stop himself from smiling; he knew this was going to be a wonderful day.

Scarlett, on the other hand, was not eager to arrive. She knew Rhett would be there, and she was not looking forward to dealing with him when she had such a big secret that was imperative he not discover, nor was she eager for the moment when Wade would notice his presence. She smiled only when she looked at Wade. His eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed both with excitement and from the chilly morning air that tousled his hair. Yes, Wade was excited, but she knew this was going to be a very difficult day.

When they did arrive at Morland Hall, both forgot their earlier thoughts for a moment as they surveyed the impressive structure.

"Why, it's like Tara," thought Scarlett in awe.

And, it was partially true. While Morland Hall was certainly far older and grander, it had a charm that was very similar to that of Tara. The house seemed to be a sort of hodgepodge of the work of various generations around a central courtyard that had previously been the fortified keep of the castle. It appeared as though chimneys, rooms, and even whole wings had been added on a whim, here and there, wherever they had been needed. This meant that the lines of the building were broken and terminated abruptly in more than a few places, and several rooms extended beyond the rest, forming odd angles, which rather than detracting from the appearance of the building, gave it that homely feeling Scarlett associated so strongly with Tara.

She was still in the midst of her contemplations when a rider pulled rein beside her.

"Welcome, I'm very glad you've arrived."

"Bart," Scarlett turned to him. "Thank you, and I'm very happy to be here. I would like to introduce you to my son, Wade Hamilton. Wade, this is Sir John Morland."

"Bart," he corrected as he inclined his head to Wade.

"A pleasure to meet you sir," Wade said bowing as well as he could manage while being seated on a horse. "It was very kind of you to invite my mother and I to join your hunt."

"Nonsense," said Bart with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm happy to have you here. And how do you like Half Moon?"

"Very much, sir. He's quite an impressive horse," Wade said with a mixture of pride and discomfort. He wasn't sure how Sir John felt about how his mother had beaten him for the horse.

"That he is," said Bart, arranging his face into a deep frown. "Yes, I was intending on adding him to my stables. That is, until your mother came along and... " He waved his hand as though to indicate, "you know the rest."

Wade looked mortified.

"Oh, now Bart," scolded Scarlett, working very hard to sound serious and keep the grin from her face. "You said there were no hard feelings about that. Don't go harassing my son about it now."

Bart let out a hearty laugh, and Scarlett was unable to hold her smile in any longer.

"No, my boy," Bart said, giving Wade a pat on the back. "I'm not upset in the least." Then leaning over to feign a conspiratorial whisper, he added, "There are many more fine horses in the world than fine ladies, and if I must lose one such horse to make the acquaintance of a lady such as your mother, I consider it a most profitable exchange."

At this, Wade looked, if possible, even more dismayed than he had at Bart's previous comment.

"Oh, Bart," Scarlett giggled, shaking her head, but with a very pleased expression on her face. "How you do run on. And, how gallant of you to decide that I'm worth more than a prize horse."

Bart smiled widely at her, but noticing the expression on Wade's face, decided to change the subject.

"Now, I notice your attire. Are you planning on riding with us, Scarlett?"

She was indeed wearing her riding habit, but she had only donned it because of the ride from Ballyhara to Morland Hall. She had not been planning to ride the hunt, though her decision had more to do with the fact that she didn't own another suitable horse than from a lack of desire.

"No," she said smiling wistfully. "I'm afraid this boy here, while a good horse, would never make it more than ten minutes were I to try him in the hunt."

"No matter," smiled Bart. "I've plenty of horses more than suitable. Why not choose one and join us?"

"Well," hesitated Scarlett.

"Come now. You don't want to be left behind whilst we enjoy the thrill of the chase, do you?"

"Mother, perhaps you shouldn't," began Wade worriedly.

"Oh Wade, you know I am as capable a rider as nearly any man," Scarlett retorted irritably. "I think I'll have to take you up on your offer, Bart."

The comment by Bart about being left out of the fun and the irksome concern of Wade had propelled Scarlet into such a state that she could no more have refused to go on the hunt than fly to the moon.

At her statement, Wade looked embarrassed, and Bart overjoyed.

"Excellent," said Bart, smiling widely at the stubborn determination on Scarlett's face. "I'll take you to the stables myself and help you choose a mount."

They set off side by side, leaving Wade to introduce himself to the rest of the people mingling around the large courtyard.

* * *

As they approached the stables, Scarlett glanced over at Bart. "He is rather handsome," she thought. "Though not nearly as handsome as Rhett, but really, nobody could be as handsome as him." She always seemed to compare men to Rhett in everything from their looks, to their horsemanship, to their conversation, judging whether or not they met his standards. Strangely, it seemed as though Rhett had become a sort of yardstick with which she measured other men, but usually they all fell far short of him.

Bart, though very different in appearance from Rhett, did hold some appeal for her. His hair was somewhere between brown and blonde, and was, at present, a bit untidy, but not in an unpleasing way. It gave the impression of being pleasantly windswept, and Scarlett suspected that it looked this way whether he was on a horse or not.

He was a tall man, probably reaching a height of at least six feet. His build was stocky, having broad shoulders, but not overly wide, as so many men of large frame seem to have. He was well built, but not overtly muscular as Rhett was, and he carried himself with a grace that appeared so natural that it seemed to be as much a part of him as his sapphire eyes.

He had an open, cheerful face that always appeared to be flushed with either health or excitement, she couldn't be sure which. And yet, his playful smile and the twinkle of his eyes held a teasing quality, without the mockery Rhett's smirk had always possessed.

His clothes were of good quality, and seemed to fit him well, but somehow, no man's clothes ever seemed to fit him as precisely as Rhett's did.

Bart turned his head suddenly, and Scarlett blushed with embarrassment at being caught surveying him so openly. Expecting a barb, as Rhett would have thrown at her if he had caught her in a similar situation, she turned her head away, and was surprised therefore when she heard nothing except Bart's amused laughter.

Bart laughed, but it was not a mocking laugh as at a joke at her expense, rather it was a jovial laugh that did not cause Scarlett anymore discomfort. In fact, his laugh was so contagious that, to her surprise, she found herself laughing along with him despite her embarrassment.

Once they had reached the door of the stables, Bart dismounted and offered his hand to Scarlett to assist her. They walked inside the large building, and Scarlett was amazed at the number of horses housed within.

"Bart, you have more horses here than were at the fair. Why on earth were you buying another?"

"Oh, a man can never have too many horses," he replied, coming to stand beside her. "I'm always looking to acquire new blood."

He leaned leisurely against the gate of an empty stall and looked at her. He seemed to be readying himself for something, but for what, Scarlett couldn't imagine. She simply stood there waiting for him to speak.

"I was wondering," he began casually, "how is it that you and Rhett Butler know one another? I asked him, but he was quite vague in his answer."

Scarlett stood there for a moment, stunned by his question. She certainly hadn't expected him to ask that now. It wasn't that it was an inappropriate question or that he had said it with any kind of unwholesome implication in his tone, but there was something about the way he had asked. Scarlett could tell he had tried to sound offhanded, as though her answer didn't really matter much to him, but there was just something in his mannerisms that told her otherwise. She couldn't imagine what he was thinking, and she didn't have time now to analyze anything further. She had to come up with an answer. She had no idea what Rhett had already told him, which made answering that much more difficult. Obviously, she couldn't tell him the truth, but exactly what to tell him was hard to decide.

"We were friends," she said, deciding to go with the shortest answer she could give and still remain polite.

"That is precisely what Rhett said when I asked him."

"Oh?" asked Scarlett, genuinely surprised that Rhett hadn't revealed any of the embarrassing facts of their relationship to Bart.

"Yes, he said you two had been friends for years, but when I mentioned your status as a widow to him, he seemed surprised."

"Yes, he would be," she said aloud before she could stop herself, and then to cover her blunder she added, "we haven't seen one another in years."

"I see," he said a bit more happily now. "Well, let's walk along the isles, and if you see a horse that you like, just say so. Almost any horse hear will make for a good mount."

They started down the first aisle of horses, but Scarlett's mind was only half on the task of choosing one. Bart had been talking to Rhett about her. Had Rhett said anything else about her to Bart? Then another thought hit her as suddenly as if she'd been slapped.

"Bart," she said, trying her utmost to make her voice sound normal despite her racing heart. "Did you tell Rhett anything else about me? I mean anything besides that I am a widow?"

He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face, "No. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," she said in the best imitation of a careless tone she could manage at that moment. "I was just wondering exactly what you two gentlemen had been saying about me," she added fluttering her lashes and smiling so that her dimples showed charmingly.

He chuckled at the onslaught of her charms, "Oh, I assure you, it was all complementary."

"I don't believe it for a moment. Incidentally, how did you come to find out I was a widow?"

He cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well, you'll have to forgive me, but I took the liberty of inquiring about you with several of my acquaintances."

Scarlett was a bit surprised by this answer, but pleased nonetheless. "Why Bart, all you needed do was ask me," she said in her most appealing tone.

"I probably would have learned more that way. All anyone knew about you is that you were a widow from America, and that you bought some, supposedly haunted town, where you live with your children. Apparently, you are quite mysterious," he said smiling widely at her.

Scarlett smiled back and breathed a sigh of relief. If this was all Rhett could find out, then Cat was safe.

* * *

Wade felt a bit out of his element, but he was doing his very best to appear relaxed as he introduced himself to the many gentlemen and ladies that had gathered for the hunt. He bowed politely and tried to remember the name and title of every person he met, so that he could address them correctly should he meet them again. He had known beforehand that he would be meeting British nobility, so he had made quite sure he knew exactly how to address persons of various rank, "and," thought Wade, "it was a very good thing I did." There were indeed several barons and baronesses present and even one countess, who Wade addressed in such a formal way that it was almost ridiculous. He blushed when he noticed she was trying very hard to restrain herself from laughing at his grave manner, and quickly began to make his excuse and leave her. But, before he could get the words out of his mouth, he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"You'll have to forgive the boy, Countess. He's very excited about his first hunt."

Wade stiffened immediately at the sound of the man's deep voice. He knew precisely who it was without looking up. For a moment he stood there, neither speaking nor moving, but simply processing the fact that Rhett Butler was here, at the same hunt, and that he had his large, callused hand on his shoulder.

Finally, he couldn't be sure exactly how long he had stood there in that shocked sort of limbo, but finally he broke from it with the full realization of the situation. He had to find his mother.

"Yes, countess, I'm afraid I haven't had a lot of experience conversing with a woman of your rank, as I lived most of my life in America. Please forgive me if I caused you discomfort, it was not intentional. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to attend to something." He said all of this without looking at Rhett and in a dignified voice, despite his humiliation and anger that Rhett had butted into the situation.

Wade shook Rhett's hand off roughly, bowed politely to the countess, and then hurried off in the direction of the stables. He looked back only to ensure that Rhett hadn't followed him, and noticed with satisfaction that he was still standing where he had left him with a surprised look on his usually unreadable face.

Wade smiled maliciously to himself as he turned the corner and broke into a run. "Serves him right. He's given us enough unpleasant surprises in the past week." His whole body felt as though molten lava was running through him. "He was probably expecting me to exclaim '_Uncle Rhett' _and jump into his arms." His thoughts were dripping with sarcasm, and he took spiteful pleasure in venting some of his rage. "Yeah, I wish him luck with that."

Wade was angry, possibly more angry than the previous time he had seen Rhett at the fair. "What?" he thought viciously, "Is he stalking mother now?" Wade increased his pace. "Damn him. I won't let him hurt her again. I'll get her away from him."

He caught sight of the stables, and sped up even more, his anger spurring him on. He flew through the door and looked left and right along the long aisles in search of his mother. The stables were so large, and he didn't have much time. Rhett might even now be making his way toward them.

"Mother!" called Wade, doing his best not to sound panicked or angry. "Mother, are you here?"

"Wade?" he heard a voice call from somewhere to his left.

He hurried toward it, and as he turned into an aisle, he saw his mother standing in front of a beautiful chestnut stallion, John Morland beside her.

"Mother," he said, desperately trying to catch his breath, while at the same time keep from betraying his dismay to Bart. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

He looked pointedly at Bart, and he, understanding Wade's meaning, left the two alone.

"What is it Wade? Is something wrong?"

Wade hesitated for a moment. How should he tell her? She would, of course, be upset by the news that Rhett was here. He'd have to break it to her gently.

"Yes, mother, something is wrong. I have something to tell you that you're not going to be happy about..."

"Wade, stop trying to be gentle with me and just tell me," Scarlett said, already guessing what his news must be.

"Now, don't worry because we can still leave. We don't have to stay—"

"Wade!"

"Alright," he began and then continued in a rush, as though trying to get it over as quickly as he could. "Rhett is here, but like I said, we can still leave. You don't have to see him. We'll just—"

Scarlett held up her hand to stop him.

"I knew he was going to be here, Wade."

He was stunned. She knew... She knew he was going to be here, and yet she'd come anyway. Why?

"Why?" he said aloud. "Why did you come if you knew he was going to be here? And, why didn't you tell me?

He was still a bit overwhelmed by the news that she had known Rhett would be there. But, he was aware of feeling beginning to slowly return to him, and with it, anger, not at Rhett this time, but at his mother's deception and continued hopes of reconciliation with the man who had hurt her more than war, more than hunger, more than any other person had ever hurt her.

Scarlett could see the flames of anger beginning to kindle in the depths of Wades eyes; he may have inherited Charles' brown eyes, but at times they were as expressive as the green eyes of his mother. She reached her hand out toward him, but he pulled away. She sighed heavily, but knew that she needed to explain before his temper overtook him and he ran off.

"Wade, I had already agreed to come to the hunt when I found out Rhett was coming. It was too late then to change my mind."

Wade didn't look convinced so she continued.

"I couldn't not come, not allow you to come, just because Rhett would be here. Could I? No, I can't let him make my decisions for me. I knew how much you wanted to come, and I wasn't going to let him ruin it for you. That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want to spoil your excitement with worries about Rhett. Do you understand?"

Her tone was pleading, begging him to understand. Wade did understand, but that didn't change the fact that he should have, at the very least, been told. He was not a child, and he didn't appreciate being treated as one. He tried very hard to control his breathing, to comprehend his mother's feelings, but their were so many emotions swirling violently within him that he could barely see straight, let alone reflect on his mother's point of view.

He stood there, breathing deeply for several moments, while Scarlett implored him with her eyes. Finally, having managed to calm down somewhat, he was able to speak to her without shouting.

"I do understand, mother," he said in a measured voice. "But, that doesn't mean that I agree. You should have told me, at least."

"I know, Wade," Scarlet replied, glad that he hadn't run away or stormed at her. "I'm sorry I didn't. I just didn't know how to explain it to you."

"Alright," Wade said, still trying to overcome his anger at the whole situation. "What are we going to do now? I assume," he added a bit sarcastically, "that since you knew he was going to be here, you don't want to leave?"

"No, I don't think we should leave. We'll just make the best of the situation. We won't let him ruin our day."

"It won't be easy."

"No, but we can do it." She smiled at him, "we're O'Hara's after all. There's nothing we can't do once we set our minds to it."

Reluctantly, Wade returned her smile with a small, rather forced one of his own.

* * *

A/N: OK, so how much do you hate me now? I know I promised a Rhett/Wade confrontation in this chapter, but like I said it will DEFINITELY be in the next one.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi everybody! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter posted. I started my first year of graduate school this week, so I have been extremely busy.

A big thanks to everyone who reviewed. It is such a great encouragement to know that people are looking forward to the next update. I actually skipped doing some homework so I could get this chapter written.

I'm not sure I'm completely happy with this chapter, but I figured you'd all been waiting long enough. Again, sorry about that.

Disclaimer: I do not own GWTW or Scarlett or any of the characters. This is only for fun and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 4

Before the hunt began, John Morland was to hold an extravagant breakfast in his massive dining room. Scarlett was glad of the size of the room because it made it much easier for her and Wade to avoid Rhett. Anytime they saw him approaching, they swiftly made an inconspicuous departure to another area of the large room. As there was no shortage of people that desired Rhett's company and conversation, it was not very difficult for them to evade him.

The sumptuous food, though designed to please, was completely lost on Scarlett. She was so much on edge that she could not eat more than a few bites, and the little she did eat seemed to take on the consistency of sawdust once it entered her mouth.

She was so concerned with avoiding a scene between Wade and Rhett, that she nearly forgot her own anxieties of being so near to him. Wade had been stairing daggers at Rhett anytime he thought someone was not watching him, but Scarlett had noticed, and she was sure that Rhett had also.

Scarlett was very grateful for Bart, as he provided her a much needed distraction from all of the turmoil she was in. He seemed to find her even in the most obscure places she retreated to. He spoke with her about the day of the fair and his amusement at the way she had beaten him for the horse, about the upcoming hunt, and about his love of the Irish countryside and of course his horses. He tried to question her about where she lived and her life there with her children, but she always evaded these questions by employing her charms and asking a question about his beloved horses to distract him. She did not want anyone who might be talking to Rhett to have that sort of information.

The breakfast seemed to go on for hours to Scarlett. She knew the slowing of time was only due to her discomfort, but she was exceedingly grateful when Bart stood and announced that it was time for the hunt to begin. There was a great clatter as everyone began to make their way out to the courtyard to mount their horses. In the commotion, Scarlett became separated from Wade and was so focused on finding him that she completely forgot to watch for Rhett. Therefore, it was quite a surprise to her when he appeared by her side as she was exiting the room.

"I see you haven't lost your ability to charm any man you meet, my pet," he said with a smirk. "Poor Bart seems quite taken with you."

"Wha—"

"Yes, indeed. Poor man." He shook his head in a pittying manner. "Well, I doubt I'll be seeing you again until after the hunt."

"And why is that?" she huffed, annoyed with his implication that any man that was attracted to her was somehow doomed.

"Because, my dear, the women generally do not ride the same path as the men. They prefer to take an _easier_," he put particular emphasis on the word, "trail, given that side saddles are not conducive to the jumping that is required in the line the men usually follow."

He was mocking her. She knew it. He was saying she couldn't ride the same trail as a man. She would show him. She would take the path the men took, and she would beat them all. She could ride as well as any man, especially Rhett Butler. Hadn't she raced and beaten the county boys many times? Oh, yes, she would meet Rhett's challenge, and make him look the fool in the process.

"Fiddle-dee-dee Rhett Butler. I won't be left behind on a calm ride while you men do the actual hunting. I'm sure you'll see me... as I pass you by."

She gave him a confident smile and walked out to the courtyard, his laughter following behind her.

***

It was a perfect day for a hunt. The air was crisp, the sun was bright, and the dogs and hunters were eager for the chase. Scarlett road along beside Wade, both of them waiting for the call that would mean the dogs had marked a fox. Nothing very exciting would happen until that point, so everyone rode along at a canter.

Scarlett was ignoring Rhett for the moment. He was riding along, a bit in front of her with a group of other men. She and Wade had settled themselves into the middle of the pack, behind the large group of more experienced men, but in front of the talkative group of women that seemed to view the event as more of an opportunity for a leisurely ride and some good gossip than as a thrilling chase. Scarlett sniffed in disdain at their shrill voices. No, she would certainly not be left behind with those women.

As they were coming upon a particularly dense covert—Wade had told her earlier that was what the areas of brush that might conceal a fox were called—she heard a loud howl from the dogs and shortly after it the sound of the hunting horn and a chorus of deep mail voices yelling "Tally-ho!"

The hunt had begun.

The riders put spurs to their horses, and they all raced ahead. Scarlett glanced over at Wade. His face had split into an excited smile, and she was glad that he was taking her advice in not allowing Rhett's presence to ruin his fun.

She turned her eyes back to the trail, and noticed immediately the place where the group would split. They were coming to a fence, several of the men had already cleared it, but there was a young man holding the gate open for the women. From this fence, the two paths diverged. Scarlett kicked the sides of the stallion she was riding. He shot toward the fence so quickly that it was as if he had been shot from a cannon. She shifted her weight in the saddle, tightening her hold on the reins and holding herself more securely with her leg that was curled around the pommel.

She was ten feet away... five feet... two feet... and she was over. She looked back to assure herself that she had actually made the jump. The horse had taken it so easily that it had hardly seemed there had been an obstacle to break his stride.

She laughed. How ridiculous Rhett was. Why, that had been nothing. Surely those other women could have managed. She most certainly could, and she pushed her horse to gallop even faster in order to catch up with Rhett and the group of men.

It did not take her long to catch them, her horse was definitely a fast one.. She smiled in satisfaction as she came up alongside Rhett.

"We meet again!" she called to him above the pounding of hooves and the baying of dogs.

He only smirked at her and urged his horse on. But Scarlett was not going to be outdone. She knew she could do anything that Rhett Butler could do, and she was determined to prove it. She watched as several of the men veered off to the right in order to jump over a lower portion of the stone wall they were approaching. She smirked when she saw Rhett start to follow them, and decided that this was the time to prove herself. She would jump over the higher portion. She didn't know why the men were avoiding it. It really wasn't much higher than some of the fences they'd already cleared.

She urged her horse on. The wind was whistling in her ears. She could hear voices, but they were indistinguishable, and she wasn't interested in what they were shouting about anyway. She prepared herself for the jump. The horse left the ground, and they were flying through the air. The strands of her hair that had escaped from the pins were blown about wildly, but she didn't mind. The sensation was wonderful, but then she began to realize that all was not as it should have been. It seemed to be taking an unnatural amount of time to return to the earth, and as Scarlett looked down, she had a brief moment of realization before the horse's hooves made contact with the ground.

The men had been avoiding that area of the wall because there was a sharp drop-off on the other side of it.

Thankfully, the horse remained on its feet after the landing, but Scarlett was not so lucky. The jar she received had unseated her immediately, and she was thrown violently to the ground.

"Mother!" Wade yelled in a panic. He dismounted his horse before it had come to a halt and vaulted over the wall.

He was not the only one who had made a hasty dismount and hurried toward Scarlett. Rhett and Bart were both running toward her.

Wade reached his mother first, as he had been the closest to her when she had fallen. He knew enough not to try to move her, so he just knelt beside her, at a complete loss for anything to do other than to call her name over and over.

"Oh God," Wade thought in anguish, "Please don't let her be dead." Wade knew how Bonnie and his grandfather had died, and he was sure that his mother had suffered the same fait.

"Wade," a soft voice said.

"Mother. Oh mother, you're alive. Thank God."

Scarlett started to sit up, but Wade placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back gently, saying that she shouldn't move. She acquiesced only because she was still trying to recover her breath. She knew there was nothing wrong with her. She had only had the wind knocked out of her and she'd probably have a few bruises in the morning, but other than that, she was fine. Her pride had been hurt much more than her body. She felt like a petulant child who had insisted on doing something that was far beyond its capabilities. One of the phrases her father had been so fond of came back to her. "Ye'r getting too big for yer boots, Puss." He had said that to her on countless occasions in her childhood, when she demanded to be allowed to ride a horse as big as his, when she boasted that she could climb a taller tree than all the boys, when she insisted that she was entirely old enough to start going to balls. Yes, Gerald had occasion to use that phrase quite often, and it certainly applied again now. Scarlett was embarrassed, not only because she had fallen off the horse, but also because she had done something that could have seriously injured herself as well as the horse. Childish, that was exactly how she had acted.

Rhett and Bart had both appeared over her with profoundly worried expressions, but Scarlett was too ashamed of herself to appreciate the fact that Rhett was obviously concerned about her.

"I'm fine," she said shortly, sitting up and brushing Wade's hand away. "I just had the breath knocked out of me."

"Are you sure, Scarlett?" Bart asked, kneeling down beside her and taking her hand. "Would you like me to send for a doctor to be certain?"

"No. No, really, I'm fine, a few bruises maybe, but nothing worse."

"Mother, I really think that you should see a doctor," Wade said. He glanced up at Rhett, accusation apparent in his gaze. "After everything you've been through..."

"Wade," Scarlett said warningly, not wanting him to say any more. She knew that Wade was referring to the difficult delivery she had gone through with Cat. Wade seemed to know a lot of things Scarlett would have preferred he didn't, and how he found out the details of Cat's birth, she had no idea. "I am perfectly alright, and I don't need to see a doctor."

Rhett, who had said nothing during this conversation, finally stepped forward. "Stubborn to the end. You'll never get her to see a doctor if she doesn't want to. Come Scarlett, I'll take you back to the house."

Scarlett hesitated. She was grateful that he had put an end to the discussion about calling a doctor, but she wasn't sure she wanted to ride back to the house alone with him. She just didn't know that she could restrain herself if she were that close to him for too long.

"I'll take you, mother," Wade said quickly. He did not want his mother alone with Rhett, and especially not if there was even the slightest possibility that she were hurt.

"Now gentlemen," Bart put in. "There is no reason for you to miss the rest of the hunt. It's my responsibility as host to see her back to the house. You two go ahead, I'll escort her back."

"No, Bart you should see to the rest of your guests. I'll take her myself. Come now, Scarlett," Rhett said extending a hand to her.

"No you won't," Wade declared.

"Please, I insist. You two rejoin the hunt," Bart said more firmly. "I promise to take very good care of your mother, Wade."

Scarlett was hard pressed not to giggle at the masculine fight to secure the right to escort her back to the house. She had not been able to get a word in since the beginning of the exchange, but she could see that she needed to say something quickly before Wade said something she didn't want Rhett to know.

She cleared her throat loudly, and they all looked at her, almost as if they had forgotten she was there. "How funny," she thought, "as it was me they were arguing so fervently about."

"Wade, Rhett, I don't want to spoil your fun. I'm sure Bart will take very good care of me. Why don't the two of you catch up to the other riders?"

Bart looked pleased at being chosen by her, but Rhett and Wade did not seem at all happy with her decision.

"Mother—"

"Truly, Wade, I'm fine. Please finish the hunt. I know how much you've been looking forward to it."

He looked reluctant, but finally he gave in, seeing by her resolute expression that he had no hope of changing her mind.

"Alright, if you're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Wade gave Rhett one last contemptuous look and walked away in the direction of where he had left his horse. "Well, that's one down," thought Scarlett as she turned her attention to Rhett.

"Rhett, you should go too. I swear I'm fine."

"All the same, I think I'll accompany you back as well," he said with a barely discernable edge of annoyance in his tone and a quick glance at Bart.

"That's not necessary," Scarlett began, but Rhett had already stood and pulled her to her feet.

"Yes, Rhett, there's no need for you to come. I'm sure I can take care of anything Scarlett might need," Bart said with a quick smile at Scarlett.

"Well, I'm sure that I'd rather see to my—er—Scarlett myself, just to be sure."

***

By the time they had made it back to the house and Scarlett had cleaned herself up, the two men were staring at one another in stony silence. "Why, Rhett's jealous of Bart," Scarlett thought excitedly. "He thinks I like Bart, and he's jealous." But then she remembered Anne. "What right did Rhett have to be jealous? He's married. All I did was talk to Bart."

She was still consumed by these thoughts when some matter called Bart away, leaving her alone with Rhett. When she finally did notice, she got up quickly and started toward the door of the large parlor.

"Prey, wait a moment, my dear Mrs. O'Hara," Rhett's familiar Charlestonian drawl said from across the room.

Though it was against her better judgment, she couldn't help being drawn to him. It had been this way for as long as she could remember, even before she knew she loved him; indeed, even while she felt openly hostile toward him. No matter how angry or hurt she had been, she had always allowed him back into her life, and it was no different now.

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow in question. She didn't trust herself to speak, fearing that she may throw herself at him right here in John Morland's parlor and proclaim her love for him once more.

He walked gracefully toward her, as though he had all the time in the world. He never took his eyes from hers, but she could not read anything in their black depths. He had, once again, composed his face into his unreadable mask.

"I wanted to complement you," he began, and her spirits rose. He was going to be nice. "On being able to surprise me even now."

She didn't understand his meaning, and her confusion must have shown because he laughed derisively.

"Yes, you almost had me convinced at our last meeting that you had grown up, but I see now that it was simply a facade. You have definitely improved in your acting skills."

"I don't know what you—"

"Come now. Don't play the innocent. It is not very becoming on you," he said with a condescending smirk.

"Either say what you are going on about or—"

"Alright, my dear, I can see you're going to make me spell it out. I just hope you've told Bart about the other man in your life."

"Other man?" she asked.

"Yes, as I said before, it appears that poorBart is quite interested in you, but he did not see you leave the fair, as I did."

Scarlett's blood ran cold at these words. He had seen her leave the fair. "Oh God, no!" her heart cried. "Please, no. Don't let him have seen Cat."

"I can see you are beginning to grasp my meaning now," Rhett said harshly, scowling openly at her. Even in the torture of her current state, she noticed this blatant display of emotion from him because it was so unusual for him to allow his emotions to show so clearly.

He waited for her to speak, but she was too afraid to say anything. She couldn't address the question of Cat without knowing for certain that he had indeed seen her. She didn't want to give him information he didn't already have.

"No impassioned defenses of your actions, my pet? Not going to tell me that the man I saw you with was only another childhood friend, and that Bart means nothing to you?"

It took Scarlett a moment to process his meaning, but once she had she laughed aloud with relief and at the obsurdity of the whole situation. He was talking about Colum. He had seen her leaving with Colum, not with Cat. She was just about to tell him the truth of Colum's identity, but he beat her to it, seemingly spurred on by her laughter.

"I'm exceedingly glad you find the situation so hilarious," he said jeeringly. Then after a short pause to gain her full attention, he added in a voice that betrayed the malevolent pleasure he took from his next words, "And what of the child I saw in your arms? Does the brat belong to that man, or is there another one I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet?"

SMACK!

She heard the slap and felt the stinging pain in her hand, but these sensations seemed to have been blurred almost into obscurity by the tidal wave of fury that washed over her. Her eyes were two blazing emeralds in her ruby red face. Her nostrils were flaring and her breathing was so loud in her own ears that it became a roar that blocked out all other sound.

She stood there, awash in her own emotions, no tangible thoughts in her mind except insults that her paralyzed tongue refused to throw at him. Her brain seemed to be refusing to interpret anything, thought, feeling, or sensation that was not directly related to her rage.

It was the scene on the stairs all over again. He was questioning the paternity of his own child, though in this case, he didn't know it was his child. This did little to assuage him of the guilt of his last statement in Scarlett's mind. She couldn't believe it was happening again. Oh how she would love to throw the truth of Cat's parentage in his face, to make him feel some of the pain she was feeling at that moment, but she couldn't, wouldn't allow herself to. She had to protect Cat. She had to keep control over herself.

How long she stood there, trapped within her own anger-crazed mind, she did not know. It could have been hours, days, or seconds. All she knew was that when she finally began to become aware of the world around her, Rhett was still standing in front of her, his hand rubbing absently at his reddened cheek.

"Well done, my dear, I do believe that is one of the harder slaps I've received in my life."

He was laughing at her! Mocking her! How dare he!

"How dare you," she hissed. She had meant to scream the words, but her body still did not want to cooperate with her wishes.

"Forgive me if I offended you," he scoffed. "I assumed that, if you were parading your conquests at county fairs, you had dispensed with your ladylike pretenses." His mouth went down at the corners in his trademark smirk. "I see that you still enjoy playing the part of the great lady."

She was visibly shaking now from the effort of attempting to contain her wrath. Every muscle of her body was tensed almost beyond endurance, but she knew that if she were to relax her hold even the slightest, she would not be able to stem the deluge of her rage. The exertion had drained her of all color, so that instead of the crimson hue of a few moments earlier, her pallor was now close to the shade of parchment. Her lips were drawn into a tight line, and they too seemed to have lost all their color in the attempt to keep herself from speaking.

In the days of their marriage, Scarlett never made the effort to control her temper. She simply gave it free reign. However, she now knew the penalty that sort of abandon could demand. She had nearly lost everything because of her inability to control herself. She lost her baby, she lost Rhett, and she had nearly lost out on a relationship with Wade and Ella. She refused to pay such a high price again.

She wanted to move, to run away from him, run someplace where she wouldn't have to listen to his biting words and mocking laughter, but her legs refused to move. Again and again she tried to turn away from him, to flee, but her attempts were futile. She could not tear her scorching gaze from his icy one. And so, she stood there, still as a statue except for her quaking.

"Mother?" a voice called from the hall.

It was Rhett that broke the stare first. He turned toward the doorway, and Scarlett noticed that his expression was tense. He seemed to be doing some very quick thinking, and then, before she realized what was happening, Rhett had grabbed her and pulled her into an empty room off of the parlor.

"What the hell do you think you're—"

He put a hand over her mouth to smother her words, and held her firmly against the wall with the other. She struggled against him, pummeling his chest with her small hands, and attempting to kick his legs with her tiny feet. She thrashed violently, but he only held her tighter, preventing her from moving more than an inch in any direction. His heavy body was pushing her into the stone wall, making it difficult for her to breathe. In a flash of memory, she thought of the day she had come to him at the jail to beg the money for the taxes. There had been a very similar occurrence that day of him holding her so tightly that she had fainted. On that occasion, he had done it because he didn't want anyone to overhear a shouting match between them. She guessed that his intentions now were similar. He didn't want Wade to hear their conversation.

Scarlett stopped struggling, finally resigned to the fact that she would never be able to escape his strong hold. She could hear Wade calling for her, but she was powerless to do anything to let him know where she was. Slowly his voice began to die away, and she became more aware of her current position.

She could feel the weight of Rhett's body pressing against her, feel his heart beating, hear his breathing. The heat emitted from his body washed over her along with the intoxicating scent of horses, leather, brandy, cigars, and something else that was purely Rhett. She was still fuming from his earlier words, but she couldn't help becoming inebriated by his closeness. She cursed her treacherous body. It wouldn't cooperate with her earlier, and it certainly wasn't obeying her demands to remain outraged now. It was like the early days of their marriage, when Rhett would do something to infuriate her, they would argue passionately, and then, out of nowhere, he would kiss her. She would resist at first, but even as she did, she knew it was useless, and eventually she would give into him. Some of their most passionate nights together were spent after such exchanges. One night in particular stood out in her mind. Memories flashed before her eyes in rapid succession; arguing in the dining room, being carried up the stairs, the overwhelming smell of brandy on his breath, his hands scorching her body, his mouth drinking hungrily from hers, swirling darkness, and spectacular bliss. She felt the heat begin to rise in her cheeks again, and she didn't know whether she wanted to escape him or ravage him.

He turned his eyes on her then, and she was sure her desire showed clearly in her eyes. She drank in the sight of him, taking in every detail. It had been so long since she had been this close to him. They stood there for a moment, neither of them moving, and Scarlett's hope began to kindle again. He still wanted her. No matter what he said, or how much he tried to hide it behind nasty comments. He still wanted her, and she was sure that he still loved her too.

But then he broke away from her and walked briskly to the opposite side of the small sitting room, and she was afraid she had imagined the spark she'd seen in his eyes.

"I thought it best that Wade not discover us," Rhett said in an emotionless voice.

Scarlett couldn't say anything. She was still recovering from his earlier closeness and the memories that had flooded her, but after he didn't continue speaking she finally found her voice.

"I don't see why you care about his feelings now," she said sarcastically.

He turned to her, and she was taken aback at the anger she saw in his eyes.

"I have never stopped caring about the children. Obviously, I cannot say the same about you."

"How dare you!" She managed to scream the words at him this time.

Rhett did not say anything for a moment. He simply looked at her as though he had never truly seen her before. When he did finally speak, it was clear that he was not mocking her, but that he sincerely meant every word he said.

"Yes, I knew you were capable of many things, and that you were a—er—less than adequate mother, but I never thought you would purposefully destroy one of the few positive relationships your children had."

She was confused for a moment, but then understanding dawned on her.

"You were the one that left. I didn't do anything. I never told them anything—"

"Save your lies for someone else. You must remember that I always know when you are lying to me."

"She isn't lying you bastard!"

Both Scarlett and Rhett turned swiftly to see Wade standing in the doorway, his face red and his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Scarlett walked toward him, "Wade, it's alright. Why don't you go—"

"I'm not going anywhere," he said in an eerily calm voice.

He side-stepped his mother's outstretched arm and walked purposefully toward Rhett.

"Mother didn't tell us anything," he began in a steadily rising voice. "She made you sound completely innocent, but I'm not stupid! I know exactly what happened! I heard her talking to Uncle Colum about the divorce! I found the letter about your remarriage!"

"Wade," Rhett began in a calm voice, "you're too young to understand, but—"

"Too young? Too young? Am I too young to understand how terribly you treated my mother while you were married? Am I too young to understand that you walked out on her the night she needed you most? Am I too young to understand that she went to Charleston to try to get you to come back? Am I too young to understand that you divorced her while she was pregnant?"

Scarlett gasped and Wade stopped immediately, a stricken expression on his face. He had just told Rhett the one thing his mother would have given her life to keep him from finding out. A brick made of ice seemed to have settled itself in the pit of his stomach. He turned toward her, and seeing her sway, ran over and just managed to catch her before she hit the hard stone floor.

"Mother!" he called, tapping her cheeks sharply with two fingers. "Mother, wake up!"

He felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder, and then lift Scarlett out of his arms. He looked up and saw Rhett carrying her to a settee. Wade rose from his knees and hurried after him. Once Rhett had laid Scarlett down, Wade tried to shove him out of the way with his shoulder so that he could kneel next to his mother.

"No, Wade," Rhett said, again placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go tell one of the servants to bring a cloth and some cool water."

"No," Wade said forcefully. "I'm not leaving her hear with you."

"Do as I tell you, Wade," Rhett said in a commanding voice.

"No. You're not my father. I'm not leaving."

"We don't have time for this. Your mother needs a cool cloth for her head. If you want to help her, go and get it."

Wade hesitated for a moment. He knew what Rhett said was true, but he had no desire to leave his mother alone again with him. He wavered on his decision, but finally he decided that if he hurried, his mother would get what she needed, and wouldn't wake before he returned. Hastily, he rose and went in search of a servant.

***

Scarlett could hear voices around her, but she couldn't make out anything they were saying. The voices seemed muffled, as though they were coming from behind thick walls. She felt as though she was underwater, and she fought toward the surface.

Finally, she seemed to break through, and the voices became clearer.

"I'll take care of her. She's my mother. You've done enough."

"Wade, you are acting like a child. I will see to her, and that is final."

"Who are you to decide anything? You're not a part of our lives anymore. Why don't you go back to Charleston? Go back to your new wife."

Scarlett opened her eyes. She could see Wade and Rhett standing over her, Wade looking as though he were about to punch Rhett, and Rhett looking as though he were considering a similar course of action. Neither of them seemed to have noticed that the charge over which they were fighting had awoken.

"You two are behaving like children," she said in a tired voice.

Wade pushed roughly passed Rhett and knelt beside her.

"Are you alright, mother?"

"I seem to remember you asking me a similar question not so long ago," Scarlett said with a small smile. Then, at a pointed look from Wade she continued a bit exasperatedly, "I'm fine. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say that today."

"Mother," Wade began hesitantly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Sorry? What was Wade sorry for? He hadn't done anything... but then the memory of what had happened just before she fainted came rushing back. She sat up, her eyes widening in fear. She looked at Rhett, and she could see it plainly in his eyes. Her heart contracted painfully as the realization hit her. "Oh God! Cat! He knows!"

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A/N: OK, so please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Like I said before, reviews really encourage me to update, so if you want the next chapter more quickly, all you have to do is review. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow! Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews! I think I got as many for the last chapter as I did for any other two combined. Your encouragement means so much to me. I finished this chapter as quickly as I could, and I would really appreciate any feedback, good or bad, that you could give me on it. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: If you haven't figured out by now that I'm not MM and don't own anything, then there's no hope for you. I'm going to assume everyone gets the point, so I'm not putting disclaimers at the beginning of chapters after this.

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Chapter 5

Scarlett felt as though she might faint again. She sat there, staring at Rhett, waiting for him to say something, waiting for the tirade she was sure was coming. He looked back at her, a blank expression on his face. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, what he was feeling. She would have given almost anything at that moment for the slightest indication of what was going on behind those dark eyes.

Rhett opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out, he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

"I apologize for having to leave you, there was a matter that required my attention," Bart said as he walked into the room. Then, seeing Scarlett seated on the settee with Wade and Rhett in front of her, he added, "Is anything wrong? Do you need that doctor after all, Scarlett?"

"No," Scarlett croaked. She cleared her throat and continued. "I just felt a little tired. I think Wade and I will head home now."

"Yes, and I'll accompany you." Rhett said in a voice that allowed no argument.

Wade, however, did not care what kind of voice Rhett used, or how commanding he sounded. He knew that this mess was all his fault. He had lost control of himself and blurted out the one thing that would cause his mother the most pain. Wade never wanted to hurt his mother, and now he was going to be the cause of possibly some of the worst pain of her life. He felt sick, and if he had been alone, he was sure he would not have been able to keep himself from expelling some of his guilt along with the contents of his stomach. As it was, his mother still needed him, and he was going to do everything he could to lessen the damage caused by his outburst.

"You're not coming with us." Wade said in a quiet but angry voice.

Rhett ignored Wade's comment and turned to Bart. "If you would lend us one of your carriages, I think it would be better for Scarlett not to travel by horseback right now."

"Of course," Bart replied.

He turned to go and make the arrangements, but before he left, he gave Scarlett a questioning look that told her that he had definitely noticed the tension between the three of them. She simply shook her head in response, and with a sigh, he left the room.

"Scarlett," Rhett began, and she could tell he was exercising all his self control to keep himself from shouting, "I believe you and I need to have a conversation, and I would rather not have it in Bart's parlor."

"Well," began Scarlett, her fear of what would happen if he were to come to Ballyhara giving her strength. "I think I would rather have it here."

Wade grinned smugly at his mother's assertion. He was happy to see that she was refusing to give into Rhett.

Rhett shoved his fists into his pockets and walked across to the window. Scarlett and Wade exchanged glances. Neither of them wanted Rhett at Ballyhara.

"The conversation we are going to have does not need to be overheard. If what Wade said is true, then you have a lot of explaining to do."

Wade started toward Rhett, but Scarlett grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," she said defiantly. "You are the one who divorced me. Remember? I don't owe you anything."

Rhett turned to face her, his eyes flashing warningly. "We are not doing this here."

"We are certainly not doing it anywhere else."

"Scarlett, don't think for one second that I would allow you to—"

"Allow me? You don't have the right to not allow me to do anything," Scarlett said outraged.

Rhett started toward her, his eyes fixed on hers, but Wade stepped in front of her. Rhett stopped, his breathing so loud Scarlett and Wade could both hear each of his breaths clearly.

"Go and wait for us outside, Wade," Rhett said firmly.

"I'm staying right here," Wade replied just as resolutely.

Rhett took a very deep breath before saying tightly, "I need to have a private word with your mother. Now, go outside."

"No—"

"The carriage is ready for you," Bart said as he entered the room.

He stopped short at the sight of Rhett and Wade facing one another, both seemingly ready to come to blows.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked, directing his question to Scarlett, but it was Rhett who answered.

"No, nothing is wrong. Thank you, Bart. We'll be out in a moment."

"You're not coming!" Wade nearly yelled in indignation.

"Wade, I am losing my patience with you. I may not be your father anymore, but you will still show me respect."

"Respect!" Wade spat. "I'll show you respect when you start showing my mother some respect! But, you are right about one thing. You are definitely not my father, and you never were! Bonnie was all you cared about!"

Rhett seized Wade's shoulders in his iron grip and shook him forcefully.

"Don't you dare use your sister's name like that! I've killed men for less, and if you weren't my son—"

"Kill me then! I'm no son of yours!" Wade yelled, fighting to free himself from Rhett's hold.

"Rhett," Bart said loudly, grabbing his arm. "Let the boy go Rhett."

Rhett released his grasp on Wade's arms and stormed back over to stare out the window.

Everyone was silent for several moments, none of them knowing how to break the awkwardness that had descended on the room after this scene. Rhett and Wade were both visibly fuming, facing away from one another, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone in the room. Bart and Scarlett exchanged glances, Bart openly curious about what he had just heard, Scarlett embarrassed and angry.

Finally, Bart cleared his throat and repeated that the carriage was ready for them whenever they were ready and, with an apologetic look at Scarlett for overhearing what was obviously a private matter, left the room.

"Rhett," Scarlett began decisively. "I think it would be better if you did not come with us tonight."

Rhett turned and looked coolly at her for a few seconds before turning away once more.

"Alright. I won't come now, but this is not over, Scarlett."

***

The next morning, Wade, Ella, and Cat all sat in the dining room enjoying a particularly good breakfast. Scarlett had decided that it was best to let Mrs. Fitzpatrick know what was going on so that she would be prepared if Rhett was to show up, and the housekeeper seemed to have been trying to reassert her claim on the children ever since. This morning, she appeared to be affirming her rights by providing them with all of their favorite foods. Of course none of them knew this was the reason for the sudden appearance of their most preferred cuisines, but the reason mattered little to them when the table was weighed down with chocolate éclairs.

Wade was seated between Ella and Cat, and was regaling them with a highly colored version of the hunt, in which he and Half Moon jumped over a twenty foot wall to reach the fox, fifty yards ahead of any of the other hunters.

"Wade catch a fox?" Cat asked excitedly.

"That's right," replied Wade.

"Cat catch a fox," she declared.

Wade grinned at her, "Maybe when you're bigger."

Cat pouted, not liking to be told that she wasn't big enough to do anything she wanted to do, but Wade knew just how to handle her moods.

"Cat, do you want to go play in the tower today with Ella and me?"

"Hurray! Go now," she exclaimed preparing to jump out of her seat.

"Not yet," Wade told her, sitting her back down. "Finish breakfast first. I know you want more than two éclairs."

Cat smiled up at him and demonstrated her agreement with this statement by stuffing one of the pastries into her mouth.

"Is this a private breakfast, or can anyone dine here?"

Wade stood immediately.

"Uncle Rhett!" Ella exclaimed, jumping out of her seat, but Wade placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and pushed her back down. Ella looked quizzically up at him, but he ignored her.

"You're not welcome here," he said coldly to Rhett. "How did you get in anyway?"

"I'm certainly glad someone is happy to see me, Ella. You've grown into a lovely young lady. And, to answer your question Wade, in my experience, people usually enter through the front door," Rhett said jokingly. "I decided to utilize that preferred mode of entrance."

He shifted his attention from Wade to the small girl with the chocolate covered face seated to his right.

"And hello there, beautiful girl."

"Hi," Cat said thickly through her mouth full of éclair.

"Ella, go get mother," Wade instructed.

"But —"

"Go get her."

"It's alright, Ella. I want to speak to your mother anyway," Rhett said reassuringly.

Wade scowled, but said nothing, not wanting to get into another fight with Rhett while Cat was in the room. He realized too late that he should have sent Cat with Ella, after Rhett took a seat at the table next to her.

He smiled down at her. "Do you like éclairs?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

"Cat, let's go outside," Wade said, offering his hand to her.

"No. Cat eating."

"Cat? Is that your name?" Rhett asked with a smile.

Cat nodded again as she took another éclair from the platter next to her plate.

"It's a very pretty name."

Wade was unsure of what to do. He didn't want Rhett anywhere near Cat, never mind talking to her, and he knew his mother felt the same way. The problem was, he had thoroughly convinced Cat to finish breakfast before Rhett arrived, so now she was refusing to leave the table. He could carry her out, kicking and screaming, but he hated to do anything to cause his baby sister so much distress. Not to mention what Rhett would do if he tried that. "Damn him anyway. Why can't he just go back to his new family in Charleston and leave us alone?"

"Rhett, what are you doing here?" Scarlett asked as she entered the room.

"I came to finish that conversation we started yesterday." He replied, and though is voice was light, Scarlett knew it was only for the children's benefit.

She was going to have to tell him everything now. There was no way out of it. She had already resigned herself to the fact last night, but still her mind frantically searched for some sort of escape. She could find none, however, so she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in preparation for the fight she knew was coming.

"Wade, please take Ella and Cat outside," she said.

"Perhaps I should stay," Wade replied, staring venomously at Rhett.

"No, Wade. I need you to watch your sisters."

"Mrs. Fitz can—"

"Wade, I am not going to tell you again."

"Fine," Wade retorted, picking Cat up and grabbing Ella's hand.

Rhett turned to watch the children leave, and waited until the front door slammed loudly before speaking.

"Now, are you going to volunteer the information, or am I going to have to question you?" he asked harshly.

"What exactly is it you want to know?" Scarlett parried. She might have to reveal her secret to him, but she'd be dammed if she was going to make it easy for him.

"Damn it, Scarlett. You know what I'm talking about. You tell me right now if what Wade said yesterday about you being pregnant when I divorced you was true."

Scarlett thought for a moment, trying to come up with anything that could get her out of this situation. She could lie, but Rhett always knew when she was lying. She could refuse to say. No, he'd never let her get away with that. "Maybe he doesn't even think she's his," Scarlett thought scornfully. "That's what he said yesterday, and even if he knows I was pregnant while we were still married, it certainly wouldn't be the first time in our marriage he accused me of such things." There was nothing else for it. She'd have to tell the truth.

"It's true," she stated.

"And she's mine."

It wasn't a question, but still Scarlett felt he was looking for affirmation.

"Yes."

"Damn it!" he exploded, and Scarlett took an involuntary step backwards. "How could you do this? You kept my daughter from me! Damn you!"

"What else was I supposed to do?" Scarlett yelled back. She certainly didn't deserve all the blame for this, and she was going to make sure that Rhett shouldered his share of it. "You tell me, Rhett. What should I have done? You divorced me, when it was supposed to be impossible. You remarried practically the next day! I wasn't going to come crawling back to Charleston, unmarried, with a baby!"

"How old is she? It was that time on the beach, after the accident. Wasn't it? You must have known you were pregnant before I filed the divorce papers."

"Yes, but how was I to know you were going to divorce me? It was supposed to be impossible!"

"You should have come back when you discovered you were with child! You had no right to keep it from me!"

"You were the one that told me to leave!" she roared indignantly. "I would still have been in Charleston if you hadn't ordered me out."

"I didn't expect you to fall off the face of the earth," Rhett said, running his hand roughly through his hair. "I assumed you would go back to Tara or Atlanta."

"Oh," Scarlett said sarcastically. "Well, I'm sorry I didn't follow your plans for where I should go after my unceremonious expulsion from your mother's house. But, if you'll remember, you weren't there to tell me where it was I was being ordered off to."

"You know that's not what I meant. I didn't care where you went, but you could have left a note or told someone where you were going. My mother was worried sick about you."

"What in heaven's name are you going on about?" Scarlett huffed. "Of course I left your mother a note. I wouldn't just leave without thanking her."

"Don't lie to me, Scarlett," Rhett said angrily.

"I'm not lying! I left a note with Rosemary."

There was a short pause in the conversation, during which Rhett looked straight into Scarlett's eyes. After a moment, he turned away and changed the subject.

"It doesn't matter. We are getting off the point, which is, you should have come back to Charleston when you found you were pregnant. How did you end up in Ireland anyway?"

"Well, if you must know, I met some of my father's family, and they invited me here to see where my father grew up and to meet my grandmother. I decided I deserved a vacation before I was locked up for months and months, so I agreed to come. I was here when I got the divorce papers and the news of your remarriage," she finished contemptuously.

"And you decided that gave you enough reason to keep my child from me?" he asked, his eyes flashing angrily.

"I already told you why I didn't come back," Scarlett said, turning her back on him. "If I had come back nobody would have believed she was yours. They would have called her a bastard, and I wasn't going to allow that."

"You know I would have claimed her, so why don't you tell me the true reason you chose not to return?" he replied confidently.

Scarlett turned her head to look at him, debating on whether or not to tell him her biggest reason. Yes, she had been angry with him and part of her wanted to punish him for what he had done, but a much larger part of her grieved over the fact that he would never know his child. No, her true reason for keeping Cat from him was not her anger, it was her love. As much as she loved him, she knew he would have taken Cat away from her, and then she would have nothing left of him, nothing tangible linking them together. She couldn't let him take Cat away from her. Cat was the only part of Rhett she still had. She was a part of Rhett who she could love without reservations, who would love her unconditionally in return. Cat did for Scarlett what Bonnie had always done for Rhett. She allowed her to express all the love she had for him without fearing rejection.

After a moment's hesitation, Scarlett decided that she could at least tell Rhett part of her reason. She turned away from him again, and said in a low voice, "You would have taken her from me."

"And why shouldn't I?" Rhett jeered. "You were never much of a mother. She would have been much better off with me."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Scarlett returned angrily. "Maybe I wasn't the most affectionate mother, but I always made sure my children were taken care of. Anyway, I'm not the same person I was then."

"Oh, really?" smirked Rhett. "You expect me to believe you've miraculously turned into a loving mother? A leopard can't change its spots, my dear, and neither can you. In fact, perhaps I should take Cat with me now."

Scarlett whirled around to face him, fists clenched, and eyes blazing. "Don't you even think you can take her out of this house!"

"Oh, I more than think it, my pet. She is my daughter, and I have every right to take her with me."

"You can't—"

"Yes, I can, and I am. I'm leaving in an hour, and I'm taking Cat with me."

"No!" a shrill voice cried from the hall just before Cat ran into the room and jumped into her mother's arms. "Me not go!" she wailed, burying her face in Scarlett's hair. "Cat stay with momma!"

Scarlett looked angrily over at Rhett. He looked stricken, and his face was pale under his swarthy skin. She turned her attention back to Cat, who was still crying loudly into her shoulder.

"Shhh, precious," she cooed as she rubbed Cat's back. "It's alright. You're not going anywhere. Shhh."

But Cat only held tighter to Scarlett's neck and cried even louder.

"What did you do?" Wade yelled at Rhett as he too ran toward his mother from the kitchen on the other side of the dining room.

"Wade, I told you to keep Ella and Cat outside. How could you let her sneak back in here?" Scarlett asked, raising her voice so it could be heard over Cat's sobs.

Wade shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. He dropped his eyes and began to play with the hem of his shirt.

"I'm sorry, mother. I didn't see her come back inside."

"And why was that?" Scarlett shouted angrily. "Because you had left your sisters outside to try and overhear our conversation!"

Wade said nothing.

"Well? Isn't that what happened?" prodded Scarlet heatedly.

Wade raised his head to stare boldly into his mother's eyes. He had come a long way from the quivering child who loved and feared his mother in equal measure. Wade knew now that most of his mother's tirades were fleeting and more bluster than anything, and moreover these outbursts had significantly lessoned over the past two years. Wade was nearly a man now, and, though he respected his mother, he wasn't going to cower beneath her temper.

"Yes," he said assertively.

Scarlett was taken aback for a moment by the force in his voice. Her eyebrows shot up in shock and she pursed her lips.

"Take Cat back outside, and this time," she emphasized the words, "stay there."

"No!" Cat cried, clinging to Scarlett as Wade tried to take her. "Cat stay with momma!"

"It's alright, Kitty-Cat. Go with your brother. Momma will come get you in a little while."

"No!" Cat screamed again as Wade finally managed to disentangle her from Scarlett.

Wade carried her from the room, literally kicking and screaming, ironically, in much the same way as he feared he was going to have to when Rhett first arrived. As they exited the room, Mrs. Fitzpatrick stepped in.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking first at Scarlett and then at Rhett, who still looked as though someone had punched him in the stomach.

"Mrs. Fitz, could you please see that the children remain outside?" Scarlett said, giving her a very pointed look and nodding her head slightly in Rhett's direction.

Mrs. Fitz, understanding Scarlett's meaning at once, took a step into the room, stopped, stared angrily at Rhett, and then turned back to Scarlett. "Of course, Mrs. O. I'll see to them. Do you need anything else?" Then, lowering her voice slightly she added, "Should I send for Colum?"

"No. Just see that the children, all of them, stay outside."

Mrs. Fitz nodded, and with one last hateful glance at Rhett, left the room.

"Now you see what you've done!" Scarlett bellowed at Rhett.

"Perhaps if you had better control over your children," Rhett shot back. He appeared to have lost the sick look of a few moments earlier, and was now safely behind his impenetrable mask again. "Wade is out of control."

"Only when it comes to you. You abandoned him. I think he has the right to be angry." defended Scarlett.

"I did not abandon Wade and Ella," Rhett growled.

"What would you call it then? When you left me, you left them too."

"I would have taken care of them, but you dragged them off to hide with you. I couldn't stay in touch if I didn't know where they were."

"You didn't even think about them when you left!" Scarlett yelled in anger. "You never thought what you did to me would affect them, but it did!"

"Are you seriously lecturing me on considering the consequences of my actions?" Rhett sneered. "I do believe that is one of the most ironic things I've ever heard of." He smiled wickedly. "But, I forget myself. Shall I explain the word ironic to you?"

Scarlett's eyes narrowed so much that they were mere slits of green across her flushed face. "Can't you, for once, in your God forsaken life, be serious?" she hissed.

"Surely not God forsaken," Rhett pronounced in feigned shock, placing a hand over his heart. "Didn't I tell you once, that it was I who forsook God, not the other way around?"

Scarlett stamped her foot in outrage. "This is serious! You, you, you cad!"

Rhett laughed mockingly for a moment, but then sobered and stared intently at her. "You're right. This is very serious, and I still have a few questions for you, if you don't mind. And, the first one is, who is Colum?"

Scarlett considered telling him it was none of his business who Colum was. In fact, the words were almost out of her mouth when she changed her mind. There was no point in making Rhett any angrier than he already was.

"He's my cousin. And, for your information, Rhett Butler, he was the one I was at the fair with."

"Indeed?" Rhett said, sounding almost bored.

"Yes, indeed," Scarlett repeated sarcastically. "I thought you'd be interested to know that, seeing as how you accused him of being Cat's father."

"Ah, yes. But you see, my pet, at that time, I had no evidence to the contrary."

"Why you—"

"Cad. Yes, I know. No need to repeat yourself, my dear. Now, we need to discuss my daughter."

"Our daughter!" Scarlett seethed. "She's not just yours, and you're not taking her away from me!"

For a brief instant, something like guilt and remorse flickered in Rhett's eyes before he recovered himself.

"Scarlett, despite what I said earlier, I have no intention of taking her away from you."

Scarlett stared suspiciously at him for a moment, trying to gage the truthfulness of his words.

"Do you mean that?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"You won't try to take her?"

"No."

"How can I believe you? You just said a moment ago that you were taking her."

"I've changed my mind," Rhett said gruffly.

"Why?" Scarlett asked. She wanted to be completely certain that Rhett wouldn't take Cat, but she was also very curious about his sudden change of mind.

"I'm not going to cause my daughter pain. It is clear to me that she loves you, and that alone is enough to prevent me from taking her," he said, not meeting her eyes.

"That's right. She does love me. She loves me, and she always will. You won't be able to spoil her into loving you best," Scarlett said smugly.

Rhett turned quickly toward her, but after a moment, he shrugged and turned his eyes away from her again.

"Now, can we discuss our daughter in a civilized manner?"

"What do you want to discuss about her?" Scarlett asked, her fear rising again that he would want to take her back to Charleston. "Well, that's not going to happen," she thought. "I am not going back to Charleston, and Cat isn't going without me." She lifted her chin in defiance.

"Don't get defensive before I've even said anything," Rhett admonished.

"I am not defensive."

"Yes, my pet, you are. I can still read you like a book," he said laughingly.

"You most certainly cannot," she fumed.

"I most certainly can."

She made an indignant noise halfway between a grunt and a snort, which caused Rhett to chuckle even more deeply. Scarlett hated that he could read her so easily when she almost never had any idea what he was thinking or feeling. It just wasn't fair.

"Just tell me what you want to talk about," she huffed.

"Very well," Rhett said, and he walked over to a window seat and sat down, gesturing that she should join him. Scarlett did so, a bit reluctantly, and Rhett continued. "Though I am not going to try to take Cat away, that does not mean that I don't want to spend time with her. I am her father, and I intend to act like it."

"And what does that mean?" Scarlett asked suspiciously.

"That means that I shall want her to know who I am. It means that you will have to put up with me in your house, at least for now. I want to get to know my daughter, and I want her to get to know me. And, speaking of that, I realize that I don't even know her proper name. You named her Cat?" he asked, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

Scarlett couldn't help but smile a little. She couldn't keep a smile from her face anytime she spoke of her youngest child.

"Her name is Katie Colum O'Hara, Katie after my grandmother, Colum after my cousin Colum, who is also her godfather. I call her Cat for short because of her beautiful green eyes. They remind me of a playful little kitten."

Rhett didn't answer right away. He was staring at her, his eyes somewhat glazed over, and a crooked smile on his face. Scarlett cocked her head, trying to fathom the look on his face. It seemed so different from any way he'd ever looked before.

At her slight movement, Rhett blinked, and the glazed look was gone from his eyes. He smiled happily, the smile he had always reserved for Bonnie, and Scarlett knew, Rhett was falling in love with Cat already.

She turned her face from his, not able to bear that look of joy and love in his eyes. She knew he would love Cat. How could he not? But, oh how she wished a small part of that love in his eyes could have been for her. How she wished he was here now, not just for Cat, but for her as well.

"It's a lovely name," Rhett said, seemingly oblivious to the tears Scarlett was holding forcibly back. "Though, we'll need to change her last name," he said pointedly, now focusing his full attention on Scarlett.

By this time, she had recovered herself enough so that her voice did not betray her emotions. "Yes, I suppose so. I don't mind her having your name."

"Good. I assume you won't mind if I stay here for a while?"

"Won't dear Anne miss you?" Scarlett hissed. She had not been able to keep her thoughts from spilling out into words.

"That is not your concern," Rhett said, his tone making it clear that the subject was closed.

"Fine. It's not my business if there is trouble in paradise," Scarlett said, not being able to resist throwing one last barb.

Rhett looked harshly at her and seemed to be about to say something, but she cut him off.

"I'll have Mrs. Fitz prepare a room for you," she said as she walked from the room, leaving Rhett to his thoughts.

* * *

A/N: OK, so what did you think? I'm pretty nervous about this chapter, so please let me know if you liked it or not. Your comments really help me narrow in on the kinds of things everyone seems to like, so take a minute and send me a few words or a lot of words. The more you review, the more motivated I am to get you the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a new chapter! Amazing! Okay, so I'm sure many of you thought I had died or something, right? C'mon, let's see a show of hands. Who thought I had dropped off the face of the earth?

Anyway, I'm back now after a lot of illness and subsequent making up of mountains of homework. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I thought it was a good place to end it. It will probably take me a while to get the next one out, as my life is filled to the brim with school right now, but hopefully there won't be another wait as long as this one has been. I apologize to all my readers who have been awaiting this, and I hope at least some of you are still with me.

I got a request to see some of Rhett's thoughts in this chapter, so I sat down to write a short bit about them. As usual, my writing decided to have a mind of its own, and it turned into 2,000+ words of Rhett's thoughts. I hope that's all right with everyone.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

Rhett stood alone in the large dining room of Scarlett's house. He still wasn't completely sure that all this was actually happening, and it wasn't just another of the nightmares his Scarlett-crazed mind had been torturing him with ever since her disappearing act.

When he had left her in Charleston, still worn out and frail from their accident, he hadn't thought about her. He had been selfish and only thought about putting as much distance between them as possible.

He had felt the tight hold he had maintained on his desire for her weakening every day she had spent in Charleston, and when he thought he had lost her, when she was lying on that beach as pale as death, any remaining threads of resistance had broken. He had taken her then, not being able to hold himself back one moment longer. Again he had been selfish. In that moment, he hadn't considered her condition, hadn't asked if she'd wanted him, probably wouldn't have cared if she hadn't.

But then, when he had realized what he had done, and what it would mean to her, he had panicked. He wasn't ready to admit defeat. Because that's what it was. The mighty Rhett Butler had been defeated by his wife and his own desires. But that's all it was. Desire. He refused to entertain the possibility that any other emotion had played a part in his demise. And so he had lashed out at her. He had said the most hurtful things he could think of, in an attempt to drive her away from him again. He couldn't go back to that hellish existence, to that nightmare of a monstrosity they had called home. There would be no happiness left for him there now that his darling Bonnie was gone, and once Scarlett tired of him and decided she still carried a torch for the wooden-headed Ashley Wilks... What would be left for him then?

But even those horrible words he had spoken to her in the shack—he cringed every time his mind forced him to hear the vile words that had fallen from his tongue in his moment of panic—even those words hadn't been enough to drive her away. So he had done the only thing he could think of. He had run.

He had left her that dammed note and run like a coward. He hadn't actually gone far away as he had intended. As much as he tried to convince himself he didn't care about her any longer, he couldn't tear her from his mind. He couldn't go so far away that he wouldn't be able to get to her if she was more damaged by the accident than the doctors had said. He had cursed himself and his weakness, but he had not gone farther than a few days journey from Charleston.

And once he had checked into a hotel, he had gone back to drowning himself in alcohol, trying to forget her. Trying not to think about how close he had come to losing her forever. Trying not to envision her lying in her bed at his mother's house, waiting for him. Trying to keep himself from seeing the smile on her face as she reached for the letter he'd left, thinking it contained a declaration of his love, or at the very least, wishes for her speedy recovery, and how her face would fall when she read what he actually had to say. Refusing to allow himself to imagine that his words could have brought her to tears. But it was all in vain.

No matter how much alcohol he had forced down his throat, he couldn't erase her face from his mind. No matter how many whores he had "attempted" to bed, he could not forget the feel of her beneath him. No matter how many reasons he came up with to convince himself to stay away from her, he couldn't ignore the aching emptiness in his chest.

He resisted it as long as he could, but eventually, he could resist no longer. He had returned to Charleston as quickly as possible, had gone straight up to her room as soon as he had arrived, and upon finding it empty, had searched the entire house for her. After he couldn't find her, he had paced the parlor floor, all the while attempting to decide what he would say to convince her of how wrong he had been. He had paced and worried himself into a state of nervous anxiety by the time his mother and Rosemary had returned from whatever social engagement they had been at all day.

It had been Rosemary that told him of Scarlett's departure. She had complained about how boorish it was for Scarlett to leave without telling anyone, and without even leaving a note. She had assured him that she had no idea where Scarlett had gone, and flatly stated that she had no desire to know.

After that, Rhett had spent several days attempting to locate her. He checked the house in Atlanta, at Tara, and had even asked old Henry Hamilton for news of her, but none of his searching had yielded even the smallest hint of her whereabouts. He had gone back to Charleston defeated, where he had resumed drinking and berating himself for telling her to leave. He had existed in this state for several days before deciding that if Scarlett wanted to leave without a word or a thought for anyone else, then he shouldn't feel guilt about doing the same thing. She had obviously grown tired of playing her games with him, and given up the act that she was in love with him. He had suspected that at that very moment, she was in the company of her darling Mr. Wilks.

That thought was what had done it. As irrational as it may have been, he couldn't shake it. It haunted him, and ultimately, it drove him to file the divorce papers.

He had half-expected her to come bursting into his mother's house declaring that he couldn't do this to her, but she never had. It had been that, more than anything that had finally convinced him that she never truly loved him. He had just been something elusive. Like some sort of twisted game of tag, Scarlett had enjoyed trying to catch him. She had evidently grown tired of the game though, as he hadn't heard from her again.

And then he had gotten himself in that mess that had resulted in his marriage to Anne Hampton. He still couldn't believe that he had actually done the honorable thing and proposed. He had never cared about honor before his Bonnie had been born, and he hadn't cared about it after she had died, so what had driven him to make that proposal, he didn't know. Maybe it was because he did feel a slight affection for the poor girl and didn't want her reputation to be ruined because of an accident. Maybe it was because he had still been trying to do anything he could to distance himself from Scarlett. Maybe it was a combination of things.

Whatever the reason, he had proposed, and she had accepted, as he had known she would. He had known for some time of her infatuation with him. He had thought it rather adorable that such a proper, reserved young lady would be so enamored with the black sheep of the Butler family, but that opinion had changed after they had married.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. He wasn't in Charleston now. He was in Ireland, at Scarlett's home, about to begin a relationship with his daughter. His daughter. He had thought he was never going to be a father again, which somehow made the discovery of his child all the more amazing.

Yes, it was amazing, and yet... He was still unsure whether he wanted to strangle Scarlett or kiss her. He was absolutely furious that she had kept his child from him, but as angry as he was, he couldn't deny that he understood her reasons for doing so. Would he have done anything differently if he had been in her position? That was an impossible question to answer, but he had a nagging feeling that he wouldn't have.

Rhett gave himself a mental shake. He didn't want to be angry right now. Any minute, his daughter was going to come through that door, and he didn't want her to see anything in his eyes but love and happiness. It wasn't hard to fill his heart with those emotions when he thought of Cat. What a beautiful child she was, and her eyes... Rhett wasn't sure if her eyes were going to be a blessing or a curse. Those eyes had been the first thing he had noticed about her because they were Scarlett's eyes. The exact same color and shape. When Scarlett had been explaining that she called their daughter Cat because her eyes reminded her of a kitten,, he couldn't help but think of all the times he had thought the same thing of Scarlett's eyes.

"Scarlett." He hadn't meant to utter the name aloud. He glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder and relaxed when he didn't see anyone. It would not do to give Scarlett any more reasons to suspect that he wasn't as unaffected by her as he maintained. He had already allowed more of his emotions to show than was advisable. He supposed it was just the shock of seeing her again that had thrown him off his guard, but he knew he had to control himself before he revealed even more.

Rhett was sure he had been acting like a jealous idiot at the hunt. He had seen Scarlett with that man, the one he hadn't known was her cousin, at the fair, and she had been carrying a child in her arms. The thought of Scarlett having another man's children had been driving him crazy. In all honesty, he had been amazed he had managed to control himself as much as he had. Then she had been flirting with Bart Morland, and Bart had made no secret to him that he found Scarlett enchanting. Every smile Scarlett had directed toward Bart, every glance Bart had stolen of Scarlett had sent daggers of jealousy through him, though he continued to tell himself it was only anger that he felt for her.

He had felt himself being drawn back into her web, just as a spider draws a fly, except this time, Scarlett hadn't been attempting to lure him in. This time it had been he and he alone that had been the cause of his reemergence of feelings, so he had done what he always did to keep himself from revealing his feelings to her. He had insulted her, taunted her, berated her.

But when he had pulled her into that room so that Wade wouldn't hear their argument and his body and been pressed into hers, that's when he knew that he could lie to himself all he wanted, but he would never be free of her. God help him; he still wanted her. Badly. He had broken away and put as much distance between them as possible with his back facing her. He had to hide the desire he knew was burning in his eyes as well as his very noticeable arousal.

After that he had tried to remain as cold and aloof as possible, but then Wade had let Scarlett's secret slip in his moment of rage, and Rhett had felt anger, worry, elation, and so many other emotions all at once. He hadn't known one person could feel so many emotions in a single moment.

Wade was another topic entirely. Rhett couldn't blame him for being angry. The boy had always been very protective of his mother, defending her vehemently whenever any of the neighborhood children had repeated the gossip they had overheard from their parents. Wade had obviously become even more protective since the divorce. It was clear that he considered what Rhett had done to be a betrayal and abandonment. He seemed to know a great deal more about the situation than Rhett expected at first, which meant it would take a lot of explaining to dampen Wade's anger toward him.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, Rhett was going to concentrate on getting to know his daughter.

***

After Scarlett had left Rhett standing in the dining room, it didn't take her long to find Mrs. Fitz and the children. They were all in the back yard. Ella and Cat were chasing a butterfly under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Fitz, who was seated on a bench not too far away from them. Wade was leaning moodily against the trunk of a nearby tree with his arms crossed over his chest, staring out across the fields.

Scarlett walked over and took a seat next to Mrs. Fitz.

"Could you please prepare a room for Captain Butler, Mrs. Fitz?" she asked without taking her eyes from the form of her youngest child.

"He's staying then?" Mrs. Fitz asked, sounding surprised, and not a little disgruntled.

"Yes," replied Scarlett shortly.

"And you're alright with this?"

"He's Cat's father. Whether I am or not, he has the right to spend time with her."

"I don't like it," Mrs. Fitz stated, as though with those words she could drive Rhett Butler from the shores of Ireland.

"He said he wasn't going to try to take her away from me, and maybe I'm crazy, but I believe him," Scarlett said, finally turning her gaze to Mrs. Fitz.

The look on Mrs. Fitz's face showed plainly that she was not so willing to take Rhett at his word, but she rose to see to his room nonetheless.

"Put him in one of the rooms across from Cat's," Scarlett instructed.

Mrs. Fitz nodded, but as she walked away Scarlett was sure she heard her mumble, "I'd rather put him in the stables."

Scarlett grinned, but it soon faltered when she happened to glance over at Wade. He hadn't moved from his previous position, but his eyes were no longer focused on the fields. He was staring at her, and the anger she saw in his eyes left no doubt that he had heard every word that had passed between her and Mrs. Fitz. "I have to learn to have my conversations in places where Wade can't overhear them," she thought.

Scarlett sighed and called the children over to her. Ella and Cat both came running toward her, but Wade appeared to be in no hurry to obey.

"Momma, me stay," Cat asserted immediately upon reaching Scarlett.

"Yes, precious," Scarlett affirmed as she settled Cat on her lap. "You aren't going anywhere. I promise."

"What's Cat talking about, mother?" Ella asked curiously.

"Nothing, darling. Don't worry about it," replied Scarlett, giving Wade a warning look when he looked as though he was going to say something to contradict her. "Now, I have something to tell all of you."

Wade already knew what was coming. His mother had decided to allow Rhett to stay in the house. Never mind that he had done everything that he could to hurt her. Never mind that he had already threatened to take Cat away once—he had gathered that much from Cat after she had finally calmed down. Apparently it didn't matter what Rhett Butler did. His mother would welcome him with open arms regardless, it seemed.

"Rhett is going to be staying with us for a while," Scarlett told them, making sure that her voice was light and there was a smile on her face.

Ella smiled widely and began to bounce up and down on her seat in excitement.

"Really, mother?" she exclaimed. "How long is he staying?"

"Who Rhett," Cat asked before Scarlett could answer.

"He's that man mother was talking to inside," Wade said scathingly.

Cat looked fearfully up at Scarlett, as Wade knew she would. It wasn't that he wanted to make his baby sister afraid, but he thought it would be interesting to see how Rhett felt about his child only wanting her mother. God knows his mother had to endure enough of that from Bonnie. "Let's see how Rhett likes it," thought Wade.

Scarlett had been soothing Cat, but Wade had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had missed it, though he was sure she had taken the time to throw him several reproving glances. He had regained the thread of the conversation enough to know that his mother was about to suggest that they all go inside, when Ella decided to speak up again.

"Mother, Wade's in a bad mood. He wasn't being nice to Uncle Rhett and he won't tell me why."

Wade scowled at her and Scarlett looked unsure of what to say. She certainly wasn't going to ask Wade to explain his behavior to Ella. There was no telling what would come out of his mouth, and it was difficult enough with one of her children knowing so much about her and Rhett's relationship.

"Wade's just a little upset with Uncle Rhett right now," she finally decided to say, hoping that this would be enough to explain Wade's behavior. Unfortunately, Ella was a very curious child and seemed to have a great affinity for asking questions.

"But why?" she queried.

Scarlett shot a look at Wade that clearly said, "now look what you've done," but he only shrugged and left her to deal with Ella's inquisitiveness.

"I don't have time to explain now, Ella," Scarlett told the child, hoping that she would forget about it before she had the opportunity to ask again. "Now let's go inside."

Ella jumped up. Apparently her excitement to see Rhett again had triumphed over her curiosity of Wade's odd behavior. Scarlett was very grateful for this, as it saved her from having to come up with answers to more of Ella's difficult questions. She rose to her feet, keeping Cat in her arms and glanced over at Wade, communicating silently to him that he was to follow her.

They made their way back across the lawn to the house and then inside to the dining room, where they found Rhett, still in the same place Scarlett had left him. He looked up when he heard them approaching and smiled.

Ella bounded over and threw her arms around his waist.

"I missed you, Uncle Rhett. Why were you gone so long?"

He ruffled her hair as he replied, "I'm here now, Ella, but I missed you too."

Ella beamed at him.

Rhett looked up and focused his attention on Cat, who promptly hid her face in Scarlett's neck. The smile that had been adorning Rhett's face faltered momentarily, but he forced it back the next moment. He reached down and disentangled himself from Ella so that he could take a few steps closer to Scarlett and Cat.

"Don't I get to see that beautiful smile of yours, Cat?" Rhett asked brightly, attempting to draw Cat out.

"No," Cat said without turning her head.

"It's alright, Kitty-Cat," Scarlet encouraged. "Can you say 'hi'?"

"No," she repeated.

There was a quiet snort of suppressed laughter from the corner, and both Scarlett and Rhett looked over to see Wade lounging against the wall with his arms crossed. Scarlett decided to ignore him in hopes that Rhett would do the same. She turned back to Rhett.

"Rhett, I'm sure she'll come around. It's just that she doesn't know you yet," Scarlett said in an attempt to gloss over the situation.

Apparently Rhett had decided to ignore Wade as well because he quickly replied, "Well, that's something we will have to remedy then. Why don't we all go on a picnic for lunch today?"

Ella was quick to let them all know that she approved of this suggestion whole-heartedly. Even Cat was pleased enough to peak out from the protection of Scarlett's shoulder. Wade was the only one that didn't communicate his agreement, and Scarlett knew without asking that he wasn't happy about the turn of events. She was just debating on whether or not to say anything to him in front of Rhett when she was relieved of the decision by the arrival of Mrs. Fitz.

"You're room is ready for you, Captain Butler," she stated, and though her tone was polite, it was impossible to miss the coldness that emanated from her.

"Thank you," Rhett replied, though he made no move to follow her to said room.

"Would you like me to show you where it is?" Mrs. Fitz inquired, still using that frostily polite voice.

"I'm sure I can see it later. Right now I'd like to spend some more time—"

"Isn't it time for Cat's morning nap, Mrs. O?" Mrs. Fitz interrupted.

"Oh, yes. I'd nearly forgotten," Scarlett said as she looked down at Cat just in time to see her yawn widely. "I'll put her to bed and be back in a moment."

"Now, would you like to see that room Captain Butler?" inquired Mrs. Fitz.

Rhett looked coolly at her, leaving no doubt that he knew exactly what she had been trying to do, but eventually he nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Fitz led him up the grand staircase and down a wide hallway. Rhett could hear Scarlett speaking in a quiet voice to Cat as he passed by a door situated near the middle of the hall. To his surprise, Mrs. Fitz stopped in front of a door almost directly opposite to it.

Mrs. Fitz opened the heavy wooden door, and Rhett followed her inside the large room. It was very tastefully decorated, something he had noticed about the entire house, as it was so different from their home in Atlanta. There was a large four poster bed in the center of the room, with a nightstand on either side of it. There was also a large chest of drawers and several comfortable looking armchairs situated in front of the hearth. All of the furniture in the room was well crafted of dark wood and was very substantial without being overpowering. It fit the room perfectly and gave it a cozy feeling that Rhett thought he would enjoy.

Rhett had been so intent on examining his surroundings that he hadn't noticed that Mrs. Fitz had halted in front of him and was staring directly at him with a stern expression on her face. When he did finally notice, he nearly flinched at her proximity, but quickly recovered himself.

"The room is very nice. Thank you, but I think I can manage from here," he said, making it clear that she could leave. However, Mrs. Fitz appeared to have no intention on leaving him alone quite yet.

"I'll know what your intentions are for being here, Captain Butler," she said firmly.

"Excuse me?" Rhett asked, not sure he had heard the woman correctly.

"I'll tell you now that t'won't only be me that'll be asking for your intentions. Mrs. O'Hara and her children are well loved in Ballyhara, and there's not a man here that wouldn't hesitate to run you out of here if she gave the word."

"I see," Rhett replied with a smirk. He was trying very hard not to laugh at this overly stern housekeeper threatening to have him run out of town.

"T'will be better for you if you do. I'm telling you now that if you do anything to upset Mrs. O'Hara or any of the children again, I'll personally see to it that you are given a rather unpleasant farewell," Mrs. Fitz added harshly, and before Rhett could do more than stare at her in mild shock, she brushed passed him and closed the door sharply behind her.

Rhett stood still for a moment, processing what had just transpired before laughing heartily. He had been threatened by Scarlett's housekeeper. What next? He supposed he had better watch his step around the gardeners and stable boys. He laughed even harder at that thought before remembering that Scarlett was trying to put Cat down for a nap just across the hall. He quickly smothered his laughter, so as not to disturb them. If the rest of the residents of Ballyhara were anything like Mrs. Fitz, his stay would be rather interesting indeed.


End file.
